It's All Relative
by gatechic
Summary: This is the fourth installment in the IManPrey series. LAST CHAPTER IS UP!
1. Default Chapter

Title: It's All Relative  
  
Author: Lori  
  
Rating: PG13 and maybe R at times  
  
Category: Romance/Action/Adventure  
  
Pairings: Darien/Darcy, Ed/Claire, Hobbes/Tara, Tom/Sloan  
  
Description: This picks up three weeks after the events in "Gemini Effect" and will span over the course of a year. Ed starts his research on the true origins of the Dominants as he tries to come to terms with what happened at Area 51. A Dominant plot to exterminate the humans sends Hobbes and Ed to Scotland to investigate the newest threat against mankind. There's more but you'll just have to wait and find out what they are…  
  
Chapter One  
  
Ed once again found himself in another precarious situation just three weeks after returning home. Sweat beaded on his body and streaked down the sides of his face as he contemplated his next move against his latest foe. His heart thumped hard and his chest heaved with every hard breath. He could feel his heart beating inside his head. He had to make it. It was survival of the fittest.  
  
*Crunch*  
  
   
  
The blow came so fast that Ed did not have a chance to defend against it. The blow to his ribs caused him to double over and yelp in pain. "You bas..."  
  
   
  
"What? I'm sorry…did you say something?" His adversary remarked smugly. "Next time you will learn not to turn your back on me."  
  
   
  
Ed shook off the pain. He took a deep breath and then stared defiantly at his challenger. "If you do that again, I'm taking you out."  
  
   
  
"Really...you and what army?"  
  
   
  
Ed stretched out his hand in front of his opponent's face, "The army of five," then he proceeded to make a fist. His adversary smiled apathetically.   
  
   
  
Ed snatched the basketball out of Darien's grasp and proceeded to the free throw line. Ed twirled the ball on his finger. "Alright, Darien. That last shot to the ribs was foul number four on you. Did you always play with your elbows like that? What kinda ball did you play in high school anyway?"  
  
   
  
"I was in juvie by then. So I only learned how to play 'A-holes and Elbows' basketball."  
  
   
  
"Figures. Well remember, you're not in the pen anymore, and you're not playing against Big Daddy for a pack of smokes, okay?"  
  
   
  
"Alright..."  
  
   
  
Ed stood with his feet parallel to his shoulders and his knees bent. He bounced the ball on the hard court. Darien whispered under his breath, "...Whimp…"  
  
   
  
Ed held the ball firmly in his hands. "WHAT?"  
  
   
  
"Nothin'."  
  
   
  
Ed eyed him with suspicion, "Yeah, right." He tossed the ball to Darien for check. Darien twirled the ball and then tossed it back to Ed. He proceeded to reset to take the first of two free throws.  
  
"Okay, monkey boy, let's see what you got," Darien mused as he stood near the hoop.  
  
Ed smiled as he bounced the ball, "I'm 'bout to take you back to school." Ed lined up his shot and released the ball.  
  
*Swoosh*  
  
Ed raised his arms, "And the crowd goes wild."  
  
Darien picked up the ball, "Lucky shot. Bet you can't do that again."  
  
"Luck has nothing to do with it. It's called 'skills' my man." Ed bounced the ball again and lined up his second shot. He released the ball again and followed it to the hoop just incase he needed to rebound. He didn't have to.  
  
*Swoosh*  
  
"Oh yeah!!! You have just been served!" Ed said as he pointed at Darien. Claire and Darcy who were sitting nearby started to clap. Darien shot Darcy a glare.  
  
"What? You cheering against me now?" Darien said with his hands on his hips as the ball rested near his feet. Ed continued to dance around the court.  
  
"C'mon, hon, you have to admit he's good," Darcy said smiling.  
  
"When I get you home…"  
  
Darcy stood up and put her hands on her hips, "You're gonna do what?"  
  
Darien wiggled his brow, "You'll see."  
  
Darcy sat back down and Claire laughed. Darien picked up the ball and tossed it to Ed for check this time. He tossed it back and Darien started his charge for the net.  
  
"They really get into this don't they?" Darcy smirked.  
  
"Boys will be boys, no matter how old they are. I think it's all that testosterone that builds up," Claire added with a jovial tone.   
  
After a moment of silence, Darcy spoke. "Ed seems to be doing pretty well these days, huh?" Darcy asked as she took a sip of water.  
  
Claire pursed her lips together. "He's doing better. The medication is helping his nightmares."  
  
"That's good. It's hard seeing him so miserable."  
  
"Yeah, it is." Claire stared at the men playing. "He still has his moments, but he's improving day by day."  
  
Darcy smiled, "He does seem more chipper today."  
  
"Being back at work has played a major part in that, although he's been staying late. He's really opened up in our sessions too. I guess he's feeling more comfortable knowing that the chances of him hurting any of us are actually very slim." Claire paused and thought back to some of their talks. She turned and looked at Darcy, "He went through hell both mentally and physically. It's going to be a long road for him, but he'll make it through."  
  
"It just goes to show you how far that Welsh woman was willing to go for survival, even sacrificing her own." Darcy glanced at Claire, "Unfortunately, the other side will go just as far if not further," she turned her attention to Darien. Claire followed her gaze and watched as the two men battled for a rebound.   
  
Claire returned her gaze to Darcy. "You mean, Darien?" Claire asked with concern in her voice and written on her face.  
  
"Yeah," Darcy took a deep breath, "Lewis won't give up on trying to control him. Lewis could care less about the High Council, that's no secret. But the time I was with him, all he talked about was the Council of the Chosen."  
  
"There are two Councils?"  
  
"Yeah, just like the two branches of Government. The High Council is merely waiting for the time when all the Chosen will finally come together. That was supposed to happen during Kewley's Comet."  
  
"How many Chosen are there?"  
  
"No one knows for sure, but it's believed to be seven or nine." Darcy looked at Claire, "Tom was selected to be the leader of the Chosen."   
  
"Mmmm," Claire sighed as she watched Darien score a basket and prance around with the ball in his hands. He stretched out his arms, leaned to one side and let the ball roll down from one hand to the other. He flicked it up towards Ed. "Well, don't celebrate too much, cause you're going down," Ed commented as he caught the ball.  
  
Darcy and Claire shook their heads and giggled. Darcy turned towards Claire again, "So, are you ready for the joint Bridal Shower/Bachelorette Party?"  
  
"Oh yeah, I'm looking forward to it. We're going to have a lot of fun." The tone in Claire's voice hinted that they were going to have a party they would never forget.  
  
"I can't wait either. So, you're going to make one for you, for Ed or both?"  
  
"Both. I picked the Tarzan and Jane set."  
  
Darcy laughed loud which made Ed and Darien take notice. "I don't want to know," Ed commented. Darien tried to take advantage of the distraction and tried to steal the ball but Ed held on fighting back with all his might. The struggle between the two men for control of the ball appeared to be more of a tug of war match than an actual game of one on one. Claire and Darcy ignored them and continued their conversation.  
  
"Those are so cute. I thought of making the Indian set for Darien and me," Darcy wiggled her brow. They watched as Ed finally regained possession and drove for the net.  
  
"I've never made novelty thongs before and I have to admit, it seems rather intriguing." Claire said with a slight blush.  
  
"Do you think Ed will wear them?" Darcy asked as Ed scored a slam dunk. "Oh, nice one, Ed."  
  
Claire chuckled, "I'm not sure. He's not to keen about…'nut huggers'."  
  
Darcy's eyes widened at the remark. "What was that? Nut huggers?"  
  
Claire smiled and shook her head, "Yeah, it's another one of those surfing slang terms. You should have heard him when he wore Darien's jeans. I had told him that he looked really good in jeans and that he should wear them more often. He said that he didn't like anything squishing his 'Hardy Boys'."  
  
Darcy nearly fell off the bench she started to laugh hard. "Men sure do love to give their body parts names don't they?" Darcy was finally able to comment after getting herself under control.  
  
Claire laughed along with her, "Yeah, they sure do. But Ed's names appear to be unique."  
  
Darcy looked up to see Darien fake going one way and then shifted quickly to get around Ed. He tossed the ball in the air and it spun around the rim before going in. "Whooo!! I just took you around the world, my friend!" Darien yelled as he pointed at Ed.  
  
Ed shook his head dejectedly, "Damn," he hissed under his breath as his hands rested on his hips. He bent down to pick up the ball then glared at Darien and went to the line dribbling the ball as he walked, "I won't be fooled again."  
  
Darien laughed, "C'mon, Roger Daltrey, show me what you got inside."  
  
Darcy and Claire watched for a minute as Darien tried to pull Ed's inner strength and determination to the surface. Claire smiled at his attempt to help Ed overcome his troubled emotions.  
  
"Has uh…Claire, if I get too personal let me know, but have you and Ed…" Darcy stopped when she noticed Claire's face became serious. "I'm sorry, I got to personal didn't I?"  
  
Claire looked at her apologetically, "No, you didn't. And the answer is no, we haven't, not since that night in the hotel room three weeks ago. He still has this mental block about getting too intimate. It's kind of strange actually. I have to treat him as if he's a rape victim and the attacker. He just can't seem to get pass this phase." Claire paused and took a deep breath, "I'll just have to be patient that's all and help him as best I can. I know it's very frustrating for him, but I can't push him into something he's not ready for."  
  
Darcy put a reassuring hand on her shoulder, "What he was going to do is so out of character for him. Like you said, he's the victim in this and because of what they did to him, he turned into the attacker as well. Talk about a double-whammy."  
  
"Yeah, tell me about it. There's nothing in the books about this."  
  
"There's a first time for everything. I know he'll come around eventually. He's got too many people who love and care about him. And don't forget, we're here to help you too. You need just as much support in this as he does."  
  
Claire smiled at Darcy and they hugged. "Thanks, Darcy. I really don't know what I would do without all of you. I certainly couldn't handle this on my own."  
  
"That's what friends are for." They broke the hug and Darcy decided to get back to the conversation about their impending party. "Well, I can't wait to see this piñata that Sloan ordered," Darcy added. There was a slight pause and then they started to laugh loud again. They had seen the piñata that Sloan wanted to get for the party in a catalog.  
  
"Yeah, I can't wait to take a…whack…at it," Claire added.   
  
"And I can't wait to see what…comes…inside." Both women began to cry they were laughing so hard.  
  
Darien and Ed stopped for a moment. "They're at it again aren't they?" Ed asked.  
  
"Yep, you know something, Ed, women complain about the Bachelor Party but look at them…" Darien paused as he gestured to Darcy and Claire who were laughing so hard they had to support each other. "…They're as bad if not worse then us."  
  
"So I've heard." Ed patted Darien on the back, "Let's take a timeout, I'm gettin' thirsty anyway."   
  
The two women stopped laughing as the men approached. "Oh please, don't stop on our account," Darien quipped.   
  
"Yeah, we certainly don't want to break up your little party," Ed added.  
  
"So, ah…who's winning?" Darcy asked.  
  
"Darien is," Ed said as he took a nice long drink of Gatorade.  
  
"Yeah, but not by much, Ed's hanging tough…" Darien paused and patted his scientist twin on his back, "…Just like I knew he could." The men had rested for a bit and then went back out to play the rest of the game. Ed went on to lose the game, but he had kept it close.  
  
Later on in the day, the two couples had a beer, pizza and movie night, except for Darcy. She stuck to her traditional healthy diet. They decided to have a Lord of The Rings movie marathon. When Elrond, Master of Rivendell showed up on the screen to greet Frodo, Ed couldn't resist and said, "Hello, Mr. Anderson." Darien began to laugh and that started the ad-libbing adventure. Claire and Darcy proceeded to throw pillows at the men, but that only encouraged them to continue.  
  
In Los Angeles, Lewis found himself once again before the High Council. "We don't want to hear any more of your excuses, Lewis."  
  
The white haired dominant didn't change his countenance, he remained prideful and steadfast. He wasn't about to let a bunch of opinionated men behind a large desk in a fancy room phase him. His lack of respect for the High Council was well known mostly because he let it be known. "I don't give excuses because I have nothing to hide," Lewis answered vehemently.   
  
John Barrette, the leader of the High Council leaned back in his chair and quizzically stared at Lewis. His head moved in an up and down motion slowly as if contemplating what to say next to the man standing before him. "What about Kewley's Comet, don't you take full responsibility for that?"  
  
Lewis shook his head, "No, the failure at the time of Kewley's Comet was Tom Daniels' betrayal."  
  
"So, you believe that Tom Daniels' betrayal was not your fault either since he was under your training?" Barrette asked.  
  
"No not at all. That solely belongs to Tom himself. He's weak and allowed himself to be swayed by the Parker woman."  
  
"Hmm…" Barrette sat quickly for a moment before continuing. "What about Agent Darien Fawkes? How could you not realize that the man you were holding was not Dr. Ed Tate?"  
  
Lewis thought back to that time in the warehouse where he first met Darien Fawkes. Barrette was right of course, he should have been able to tell just from the electrical impulses that the man that Lynch had brought to him was not Ed Tate. He could understand why Lynch was fooled, after all the clones obviously were not perfect, but he should have been able to tell. "They both have the similar signatures. I believed that Tom Daniels may have taught Dr. Tate how to mask himself and it changed his signature slightly."  
  
"A human capable of masking? That's absurd, Lewis, and you know it!" Barrette rose to his feet. "We're going to give you one more chance to prove yourself to this Council. We had to postpone our efforts during Kewley's Comet, but now the time is near for the Council of Chosen to come together and lead our people." Barrette glared at Lewis, "We want Darien Fawkes brought to us before this happens. The humans, Attwood, Parker and Tate must be eliminated." Barrette sat back down, "Those are your orders, Lewis, and you had better make sure you don't fail us again."  
  
Lewis merely bowed his head and turned on his heels to leave. The double doors opened and he left the chamber. A woman had been waiting for him outside and met as he walked down the hall. She ran her hand up his arm, "What did they say?"  
  
Lewis looked at her with his sky blue eyes, "I'm troubled, my dear."  
  
"You troubled? I thought that would be impossible," Tabitha said.  
  
"They are pushing for the Council of The Chosen to form too quickly. I believe they are afraid of losing their power. Something else is going on, they even want Ed Tate dead instead of joining us."  
  
"Really? Hmm…we could still turn him you know. I had caught his eye one time before, I'm sure I can catch it again and then you can give him the gene therapy. Problem solved."  
  
Lewis turned and cupped her face in his hands, "My dear, still fascinated about him after all these years. He was a mission and nothing more. You did your part, besides; he has devoted himself to another woman. His heart will not fall prey to another's passion but hers." He leaned down and kissed her lips gently. He pulled away from her and rubbed his thumb over her bottom lip, "I have another mission for you that I'm sure you'll enjoy just as much."  
  
Tabitha pressed her body against his, "Mmm...what is it?"  
  
Lewis smiled, "It's time you met Darien Fawkes. I'm sure you'll find him just as…fascinating."  
  
She wrapped her hands around Lewis' neck and pulled him down closer until her mouth was close to his ear. "I'm sure I will," she whispered seductively. She pulled away from him just enough so she could cover his mouth with hers. The kiss deepened.  
  
Lewis regretfully broke the kiss and gazed at her with lust filled eyes, "Shall we go?"  
  
"I thought you'd never ask."   
  
Lewis wanted to find out what plan the High Council had. He had wanted to use Fawkes to get rid of the Council so he could replace it with one that shared his own agenda. Why would they want Tom to take his rightful place? If Fawkes was under their control then he would be used to get rid of the Chosen Council along with Tom. Sloan and Ed were smart, very smart, surely they would figure it out and be a threat to their plan. If the High Council was going to take over then they would have to remove all those that could stop them. Once eliminated, then they can resume power over the species and the world.   
  
Lewis wasn't sure if this was their plan, but if he could bring them Darien, then he could find out for sure. A plan had already begun to form in his mind on how he would turn Darien…permanently.   
  
TBC…. 


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2  
  
Inside lab four, Darcy sat on the examine table and Darien sat on a chair with his long legs spread out. His left elbow rested on his knee as his chin rested in the palm of his left hand. The magazine sat across his right leg. Darcy had a mother-to-be magazine and Darien was reading Newsweek. "You know this is funny, I'm Ed's only patient and I still end up waiting like I would in any other doctor's office," Darcy said playfully.  
  
"Yeah, well, he did have a briefing with Walter so I'm sure he'll be here any minute. At least Newsweek is brand new," Darien said without looking up from the article he was reading.  
  
"Something's got your attention. What you reading?"  
  
"Oh…this group of historians is overseeing a project to restore Alcatraz and they've even put up millions of dollars to do it."  
  
Darcy put her magazine down to rest on her lap, "Really? That's cool. It is falling apart. Have you ever been there?"  
  
"No, I haven't, I've never actually gone voluntarily to a prison before. Have you been there?"  
  
"Yeah, once along time ago with Kelly…it's definitely creepy. There's this one part of D Block where the solitary confinement cells are at. Kelly and I went inside the last one, I'll never forget it…14D…supposedly there's a ghost in there with red eyes…"  
  
"Hmm…red eyes, huh? Imagine that," Darien said sarcastically.   
  
"Well, it definitely made the hair on the back of my neck stand up," Darcy added as the door opened.  
  
"Hey, guys, sorry I'm late," Ed said as he entered the room.  
  
Darien closed the magazine and set it down. Had he taken a closer look he might have noticed in one of the pictures taken at Alcatraz a partially hidden Karl Hunter among the group of historians.   
  
"So, doc, you ready for this?" Darien asked.  
  
It had taken Ed a couple of weeks to do some research to brush up on prenatal care before he would do anything. He hadn't practiced medicine officially since doing his residency years ago. He did however inform the parents-to-be about health concerns. He had gone over her medical history briefly and prescribed some prenatal vitamins for her to take in the mean time. Ed smiled, "Yeah, at least for this part. I'm going to go to a convention for OB/GYN practitioners to brush up on my skills, which is great because then I can get CE credits for my MD license."   
  
"Whoa, a lot of initials in one sentence. But oddly enough, I understood all that." Darien quipped.  
  
Ed pulled up a chair and sat down. He opened up a folder and began to go through their medical history a little more deeply. Once that was done, Ed handed Darcy a cup and a package of wipes, "I need to get a clean urine sample. Here are some wipes to clean yourself first, and then catch some urine in midstream. We'll be doing this at every appointment."   
  
"I can do that," Darcy said as she sat up and headed for the bathroom.  
  
"So, ah, what's that for?" Darien asked like a typically concerned father-to-be.  
  
"I'm checking for bacteria that may indicate a urinary tract infection. We don't want it to spread to the kidneys if she does have one. I'm also checking for sugar which could be a sign of diabetes. And I'm looking for protein which could also be a sign of a urinary tract infection and later on in the pregnancy could also be a sign for high blood pressure."  
  
"Oh…okay. Hey, look I trust ya or else we wouldn't have asked. I'm just new at all this."  
  
"It's okay, Darien, I don't mind the questions. It's good, you know. Uhm, how are you doing?"  
  
"I'm nervous. There are days when I'm okay with it and other times when I think what the heck am I doing?"  
  
"That's normal…from what I've read." Ed scribbled some more in the chart. Darcy came back in with Claire right behind her. Claire had the cup in her hand and proceeded to run the tests that Ed described. Darcy sat back on the table. "Okay, Darcy, I'm going to take your vitals, check your weight, take some blood for tests and then I'll do a GYN exam."  
  
Darcy smiled, "Okay, Ed…I can take it."  
  
Ed smiled back. "Somehow I didn't think you would be bashful."   
  
"Hey, you've seen one you've seen 'em all." Darcy winked at Ed. "Besides I do recall the 'Fish saying that he wanted you to take a more active role as the Agency newest M.D. to help Claire out. Which means…" she glanced over at Darien and winked.  
  
Darien looked at Ed and then back at Darcy, "You just had to remind me. It's like having your brother examine you…just too weird."  
  
"And just as weird for me," Ed turned his attention to Darcy, "How are you feeling these days?"  
  
"Morning sickness is more like 24 hour sickness."  
  
"Are you able to eat anything?" Ed asked as he jotted down in the chart her remarks.  
  
"Yeah, but I have to force it. I'm not vomiting or anything like that, I just have the nausea."  
  
"Okay, hopefully that will go away when the first trimester ends. But sometimes it doesn't, hate to say that, but I have to warn you. If it gets worse or you have trouble eating let me know."  
  
"Okay. I carry around a package of crackers with me where ever I go so I'm constantly putting something in my mouth…and don't say a word, Darien!" Darcy snapped at him immediately.  
  
Darien put his hand to his chest, "Moi, I wasn't going to say anything."  
  
"Yeah, right." Darcy said.  
  
"That was more than what I needed to know," Ed said as he put the chart down. After Ed completed taking the vitals, weight and drawing blood, it was time for the GYN exam. Darcy had stripped out of her clothing and put the gown on. She came out from behind the screen and sat on the table. Ed pulled the screen over to give Darcy privacy just in case someone came through the door. "Okay, Darcy, I'm going to check your breasts first."  
  
"Just make sure your hands are warm," Darcy smirked as she laid back on the table.  
  
Ed smiled, "No problem." He pulled her gown down to expose her breasts and started the exam. "I'm checking for lumps that's all."  
  
"So, Ed, when will her breasts get bigger?" Darien asked.  
  
Claire turned around sharply in her chair, "Dahrien!!!"  
  
"Hey, it's an honest question," Darien snapped back.  
  
"Normally towards the time of delivery, they'll fill up with milk and be extremely tender. I doubt Darcy will want you touching her."  
  
"Damn."  
  
Claire shook her head and went back to running the tests. Ed completed the breast exam and prepared for the pelvic exam. He sat at the foot of the table. Claire brought the mayo tray with her to help with this part of the exam.   
  
"Okay, Darcy, this is the last exam today. I'm going to do a pap smear and check to see how your cervix is doing." Ed put her feet in the stirrups and put on a pair of gloves. Claire handed him the speculum. Darien winced at the thought of where that would go on a man. "Okay, Darcy, you're going to feel some pressure here." After a few moments, Ed declared the exam finished,"Good, that's it."   
  
"Wow, Ed you're good. So gentle."  
  
Ed blushed. Darien rolled his eyes as he looked away. "Let's have a listen to the heart beat," Ed reached for the Doppler. He placed it on her stomach and moved it around. He listened for a moment as the room went silent. He heard the sound of rhythmic thumbing. "That's it…that's the…" he stopped.  
  
"What?" Darien and Darcy said in unison when they sensed the mood change in Ed..  
  
"Wait…" Ed moved the Doppler around for a few moments and then he looked at Darien. "I'm not sure, I mean, it's been a long time since I've done a prenatal exam…but I think there are twins here."  
  
"TWINS!!" Darien and Darcy yelled out in surprise.  
  
"Yeah, twins…I'm hearing two heartbeats here…I think…an ultrasound will let me know for sure. You're what, eight weeks into the pregnancy?"  
  
"Yeah…"  
  
Ed turned to Claire who was already getting the ultrasound equipment. She wheeled it over and hooked it up for Ed.  
  
"Twins…" Darien repeated as he sat down in shock.  
  
"Well, actually, I'm not surprised," Ed mentioned as he put some gel on Darcy's stomach.  
  
"I am…" Darien said as he stared numbly into the room. It was bad enough that he was going to be a father. That fact had shocked him enough, but now there were going to be two. Now he was doubly nervous about fatherhood.   
  
Ed took the hand held transducer and moved it around her belly. Ed and Claire studied the monitor. Darien looked at it, "How can you tell what you're looking at?"  
  
"I'm looking for…" Ed stopped and then pointed at the screen, "Claire…right there…look, you see it…two beating hearts…"   
  
"You're right, Ed. There they are." Claire said as she studied the fetuses with Ed.  
  
"Where? What are you guys looking at?" Darien asked with a hint of annoyance in his voice. "And why isn't this thing in color?" Darien added in frustration.   
  
Ed shook his head back and forth as he let out a soft chuckle. "Right here, Darien, look…you see the movement…"  
  
Darien leaned in closer to get a better look, "Oh…yeah, I see it."  
  
"Well, that's the heart and here's the other one." Ed said as he pointed to another part of the screen. Now Darien could see what Ed was looking at.  
  
"Oh crap…" Darien said as he sat back down again.  
  
"Can you see it, Darcy?" Claire asked.  
  
"Yeah, I can…wow…twins, huh?" Darcy said. "Can you tell if they're fraternal or identical?"  
  
"I do know that if there are two sacs then it's usually fraternal, but I'm not an expert at ultrasounds. I just can't tell yet. I'll need to do some research on this." He looked at Darien and Darcy, "But considering that you're a dominant, I'd say fraternal. I have a feeling that both your ovaries produced eggs at the same time. It's consistent with what we know about female dominants. During your conversion you didn't grow more uteruses and ovaries. But it may have changed how your ovaries function during ovulation."  
  
"So, what you're saying is that every time Darcy gets pregnant she'll have twins?" Darien asked.  
  
"Yeah, but without running tests I won't know for sure," Ed said. He turned to face Darcy, "You can get dressed now, we're done with this part." Claire wiped the gel off her stomach and then helped her fix the gown. She moved the screen again so Darcy can get dressed in private  
  
"That's it, one of us is getting fixed," Darien commented.  
  
Ed and Claire laughed. Ed patted Darien on his back, "Just be careful next time that's all. I know that the dominant urge for procreation is stronger than in humans, but you two will have to learn to control yourselves. Darcy might want to consider birth control…but I'm not sure if pills for human women will work on a dominant female. I guess that's another test to add to my ever increasing list of things to do." After writing a few things in her chart, Ed sat in heavy thought.   
  
"What's going through that mind of yours?" Claire asked.  
  
"I do know that Tom had an identical twin, which means that at least one fertilized egg split in two...but since dominant woman have four uteruses they would have to be smaller to fit inside the body cavity…which makes me believe that a dominant female can't carry a set of twins in one uterus, there just wouldn't be enough room."   
  
"Unless…" Claire started to say and she stopped to look at Ed.  
  
"Unless…Tom's mother was originally a human and was converted." Ed finished.  
  
"But how, I mean…" Darien stopped and remembered Ed's research. "Oh…you mean, she was a part of the government thing you're researching on."  
  
"Exactly, his mom could have been a young girl at the village. She converted along with everyone else." Ed thought back to his first trip to Oaxaca. "That village was abandoned way before Tom was born, but yet the memory of him receiving the tattoo is so vivid. When we were out there he knew that was the exact area. Why did they return there to put the tattoo on Tom? Why not somewhere else?"  
  
It was Darien's turn to pat Ed on the back, "Well, looks like you have yourself another mystery to solve."  
  
Ed rolled his eyes, "I'm keeping my mouth shut on this one. Every time I come up with a mystery to be solved I get kidnapped."  
  
Darcy came out from behind the screen. Ed motioned for her to sit down. "Okay, Darcy, I really have no guidelines to go by and this is where Tara actually has been helpful. Dominants have a gestation period of nine months as well, so that's the same. Dominant babies are normally smaller than human babies, but in your case that might be different because you have one uterus. Until I can learn more, this is what I want you to do, eat more…at least 600 more calories per day over what you normally eat. More servings of protein, carbohydrates, and calcium will help. Also increase your whole grains intake."  
  
"That won't be a problem for Miss Health-Food-Nut here," Darien retorted.  
  
Ed chuckled and then continued, "You'll have to take an iron supplement so that you're getting enough iron in your system. I don't want you getting anemia. You should also drink plenty of water…I believe it's at least two quarts a day. Keeping hydrated during pregnancy is very important. You can do gentle aerobics, and swimming, but I wouldn't go beyond that. And last but not least, since you're having twins, I want to see you every two weeks instead of once a month. I want to monitor the babies more closely. I know that multiples are normal for a dominant pregnancy but I still have to consider the fact that you were once human. I don't suspect that there'll be any complications, but I just want to be cautious."   
  
Claire handed Ed the urine analysis results, "Okay, everything is good so far. Now, I've got this for you…" Ed handed Darcy a book on prenatal care, "This is a general book about what you might experience during your pregnancy, like mood swings, morning sickness, how your body will change, and other things like that. I'm going to find you some material on twins also." Ed looked at Darien, "And here's something for you too, this is a book for expecting dads…it's really good and has some great information from a man's point of view on what Darcy will go through, how to keep her comfortable and other stuff that guys should know."  
  
"Thanks, Ed…man, why didn't you stick with being a doctor?" Darien asked.  
  
"I couldn't handle the sick people."  
  
"Well, you're awesome in my book," Darcy said.  
  
"Thanks," Ed stood up from his chair, "Look, if you have any questions, just ask, okay. Oh and one more thing, Darcy, if your female intuition tells you that something is different in anyway or you have spotting, you guys call me right away. I don't care what time it is, you got me?"  
  
"Okay, we will, I promise." Darcy said.  
  
"One question…since she's having twins can we still…you know?" Darien asked sheepishly.  
  
Ed smiled, "I don't see why not, at least for the time being. There may come a time though when you'll have to forgo sex. But just remember as her stomach gets bigger you may have to find a more comfortable position for her."  
  
"Thanks, man."  
  
"I knew he was going to ask that question," Darcy smirked.  
  
The door opened and Hobbes stepped inside cautiously, "Hey, is it safe to come in?"  
  
"Yeah, Hobbes, we're done anyway," Darien answered.  
  
"Well, good cause I didn't want to come in and hear gruesome details about child birth," Hobbes added as he walked into the room. He strolled over to where Ed was standing. "So, how's the mother-to-be?"  
  
"Pregnant…with twins," Ed replied.  
  
Hobbes turned sharply towards Darien, "Whoa…really? Congratulations! You da man!" He put his hand out to give Darien a low five.   
  
"Well, thanks…I think," Darien said with uncertainty.   
  
"So, two little baby Fawkesies running around, eh?" Hobbes nudged Darien in his ribs. "That's cool. Do you know what sex they are yet?"  
  
"Ah, no, not for awhile," Ed said as he looked up from writing in the chart.  
  
"Oh, hey, I uhmm…got you a little something," Hobbes said as he handed Ed a small package.  
  
Ed looked at it and then at Hobbes. He smiled in surprise, "Thanks, Hobbes."  
  
Hobbes motioned to the present, "It's not much, but I thought you could use it."  
  
Darien and Darcy smiled at each other as Ed opened the package. Ed chuckled as unwrapped the book. "Is this for real?"  
  
"Yeah," Hobbes answered back.  
  
"Well, what is it, hon?" Claire asked curiously.  
  
"'The Action Hero's Handbook'…" Ed showed it to everyone and laughter broke out around the room. Ed looked at the small book again and began to read, "'How to catch a Great White Shark, Perform the Vulcan Nerve Pinch, Track a Fugitive, and Dozens of Other TV and Movie Skills'… " Ed glanced at Hobbes, "Nah, you're putting me on. This is a joke."  
  
"No, it's for real, it's written by the same guy who wrote 'The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook' series." Hobbes pointed to the back of the book. "See…"  
  
Ed laughed, "My God, it is for real. Check this out…'Spyproof your hotel room, Win a fight when outnumbered'… heh…I sure could use that info…'Climb down Mount Rushmore National Monumet'...this is too funny." Ed opened it up to read the table of contents. "Oh, here's one for you Darien, 'How to Survive in Prison When You're Wrongly Incarcerated'."  
  
"Ha,ha…very funny."  
  
"Oh I like this one…'How to Make and Use a Love Potion'…"  
  
"You need that to be an action hero?" Darcy asked.  
  
"Hey, it's in the Love Skills Chapter," Ed retorted "Guess you never know when you need to use seduction to get answers."  
  
"James Bond never needed to make a love potion," Claire stated.  
  
"Neither did Bobby Hobbes," Hobbes added.  
  
"Okay, so how does one use and make a love potion?" Darien asked.  
  
"Well, let's see…" Ed flipped through the pages, "Oh-kay…" Ed said each syllable slowly as he read.  
  
"Well!?!" Darcy said impatiently.  
  
Ed looked up and started laughing, "I can't believe this…it's a spell by a witch. It's only effective during the beginning of the full moon cycle. And after you brew the ingredients you have to either dance or sing an incantation."  
  
Darien rolled his eyes, "Yeah, I can see myself dancing around the kitchen singing some love potion incantation."  
  
Darcy placed her hand on Darien's arm, "Baby, you have enough mojo, you don't need a love potion."  
  
"Yeah, baby! It's all about mojo." Darien replied like Austin Powers.  
  
Ed looked at Hobbes, "Thanks."  
  
"Ah, no problem. I guess it's my way of apologizing for how I treated you. You're a good guy and I know now how much Claire loves you. So, I'm sorry."  
  
Ed looked down at the floor and then back at Hobbes, "I'm sorry too, Hobbes. If it means anything, I know how you felt. It happened to me too, so, all is forgiven…" Ed put his hand out, "Friends?"  
  
"Yeah, friends," Hobbes shook Ed's hand.   
  
Claire came over to him and hugged him. "Oh, Bobby, you know I'll always love you…" she kissed Hobbes on his cheek and he stumbled a bit.  
  
Ed smiled as he stared down at the floor. "Well, I gotta get back up to the lab. I've got some tests running and they should be finished soon. I'll see you guys later." Ed left the lab leaving them to stare at one another.   
  
"I should be going too," Claire said as she walked out of the room. Now it was Darien, Darcy and Hobbes who were left to stare at one another.  
  
"Okay, we've got to do something about this," Darcy said.  
  
"There's nothing we can do, babe, it's up to them to work this out. I know he loves her, but…it's just hard for him right now, he's got issues that need to be worked out. Give him time." Darien interjected.   
  
"Yeah, all we can do is give them support. I just hate seeing them like this…seeing him go through these mood swings. He's all loveable and cuddly one minute and then he builds this wall up around him the next when he sees a blatant display of affection," Darcy said as she hugged Darien.  
  
"Maybe we should all take turns talking to him, you know, give him the ol' 'Win One For the Gipper' speech." Hobbes said as he opened the door to leave the lab.  
  
Darien looked down at Darcy as they walked out, "Loveable and cuddly?"  
  
"Yeah, well, you know what I mean…"   
  
The door slid shut.  
  
~*~  
  
A week ago Sloan had promised Claire that she would watch him while she was in the lab. Ed had been working long hours and sleeping very little. This new research that the President has him working on has been keeping him busy…maybe a little too busy.  
  
"He gets home late at night and when I question him, he tells me 'I'm on a roll'," Claire recounted to Sloan in a concerned tone.  
  
Sloan smiled when Claire told her this. "That's normal for Ed," Sloan stated sympathetically.  
  
"Well, that may be normal for him, but I suspect something else."  
  
Sloan sighed deeply, "You think he's using his work as an excuse?"  
  
"That's what I'm thinking." Claire stated in a disconcerting tone. She knew that Ed didn't want to sleep. He wanted to stay busy to keep the nightmares away. Claire had even slipped him a drug induced drink one night. The poor guy fell asleep at his desk leaning back in his chair. She had found him the next morning with the printouts on his lap, his tall lanky frame slouched in his chair, head tilted to one side and his mouth gapping wide open. He actually didn't look very comfortable, but to Claire, at least he slept. He never found out what Claire had done. All he thought was that he was very tired. He had apologized all day long to Claire for not coming home. He bought her flowers, took her out to dinner, everything a typical husband would do to try and make amends with his wife. What made Claire laugh the most about that day was that it was her own doing he didn't come home. Besides the fact they weren't even married yet and Ed was already acting like a husband who didn't want to spend any nights sleeping on the couch.   
  
As she promised she had been watching him, making sure that he takes breaks and eats properly. She watched him as he hovered over microscopes, went through the procedures to break down the DNA of the samples he received and scores of other lab work he needed to do. He had put up charts on the walls in his office to trace migration patterns and set up the family tree haplogroups. For the first time in five years, he was actually doing what he was trained to do. The only thing missing was a body to do an autopsy on, and then Ed would have been in anthropology heaven.   
  
Sloan noticed one the door to her office open and a spiky haired head poke in. She smiled and waved Darien in. He walked up to Sloan as he watched Ed work feverishly over a sample. Darien was carrying a small red box, "Here's so'more samples."  
  
Sloan took them and looked at Darien quizzically. Darien pointed to the box, "Oh ah, they're samples I got from Lewis and some of the High Council members," he stated nonchalantly.   
  
A surprised expression spread across her face as she inspected the vials inside the box, "Where did you get these?" She glanced at him quickly and put her hand up, "Ahh…don't answer that. I don't want to hear the details."  
  
"Yeah, as they say in the Mafia…It's best if you don't know, capish…" Darien sat on top of Sloan's desk and glanced back over at Ed, "So, ah, he keeps himself pretty busy, huh?"  
  
Sloan let out a long sigh, "Yeah, he works and works, and then works some more." She put the box down and rested her hands on her hips, "It's going to take a long time for Ed to bounce back from this. I still feel he came back to work too soon. He did that before…after he recovered from the Spanish Flu, I felt that Walter would push him. I see the same thing happening all over again. But he was so determined to not allow the dominants to get too far ahead…nothing personal."  
  
Darien smiled at her to show that he wasn't taking her comment personal. He paused a moment and then spoke, "Yeah, maybe…but it was also his choice to come back. He's gonna be fine, Sloan…trust me on this." Sloan half smiled at Darien. He jumped a little and checked his watch, "Oh crap, gotta go. I'll check in later."   
  
Sloan watched as Darien hopped off the desk and scampered out of the office. She picked up the box and shook her head from side to side, "Glad he's on our side." She chuckled at a vision that came to mind of an invisible Darien knocking dominants out and taking saliva samples. She walked out to the main part of the lab and approached Ed. "Hey, Darien has some more samples for you."  
  
"Oh great!" Ed took the box and looked at the names, "Holy...how did he get these?" Ed inspected the vials containing cotton swabs. He saw the expression on Sloan's face and smiled. He shook his head, "Like I really need to ask."  
  
"Hey, how about some coffee?" Sloan asked as she removed her lab coat.  
  
"Gotta work." Ed answered her as he put the box on the table.  
  
Sloan tugged on his lab coat, "Nooo…You look like you need some air."  
  
Ed smiled, "Okay, I get the hint. Using my own words against me now, huh?" He remembered the time he had done the same thing to Sloan right before Ann Coulter's death.  
  
Sloan sat across from Ed at the Starbucks coffee shop down the street from the Harding Building. They sat outside now that the after affects of the fires had cleared. "So, uhm…how is the house looking?" Sloan tried to start a non-lab conversation.  
  
"Oh, we're done cleaning it up. The county finished with the beach yesterday. I owe Eberts another big thank you for taking care of Pavlov. The house was never in any danger from the fires, but we sure did get a lot of ashes. It must have been something." Ed looked down at his coffee as he turned the cup in circles. His tone sounded as if his thoughts were far away.   
  
'Oh, way to go, Sloan…that didn't help,' she mentally slapped herself. "Well, that's good, so you should be able to go surfing soon then."  
  
"Yeah, Claire said I should be able to go out on my board soon. My wrists and ankles healed nicely, I'll have scars..." Ed paused as he thought to himself, 'I've got scars alright,' then he continued, "Plus I think she's kinda nervous about me going out after that little girl was attacked in Hawaii."  
  
"Oh yeah, that's right, I heard about that. How sad," Sloan remarked. She didn't want to say anything, but Ed's surfing always did make her nervous too.  
  
"Yeah, it is, but that's the chance you take. I mean, we know that when we go out we're entering their playground. Anyone of us could be mistaken for a seal or sea lion. It happens. But the great thing is, she's not letting it keep her from going back out again. She still has the potential to be a very competitive surfer."  
  
Sloan lifted up her cup, "True, she's not letting this set back keep her from living her life and doing what she loves."  
  
Ed stared at Sloan as she took a sip. He could see her staring back at him over the rim of her cup. He stared off at a couple walking by as they held hands. "Okay, I deserved that," Ed remarked sullenly.  
  
Sloan put down her cup and put her hand on top his, "Look, Ed. I know that a shark bite is not as bad as what happened to you…"  
  
"Sloan, she had her arm bitten off, that's pretty bad in my book."  
  
"Okay, but the point is, she's fighting back and I know you can do it too."  
  
"I hear a 'but' coming up," Ed said staring into his cup as he took a sip.  
  
"But…you need to take care of yourself. You're working way too hard on this research. If you don't take care of yourself physically, you'll never heal. I hate seeing you like this and so does everyone else. We all understand what you went through, but we're also worried about you."  
  
"I'm trying, Sloan, honestly. I mean, Claire is great and she's really helped me out a lot during our secessions. But…things still remind me of what happened and the dreams, they don't stop. The medication helps, but it's only sugar coating the real problem. Hey, at least I was able to sit in a crowded restaurant the other night without going berserk." Ed raised his brows and his lips formed a hesitant smile.  
  
"Just remember that I'm here, okay. Anytime you need to talk. But just do me a favor…go home at a decent time and spend time with Claire outside of the lab and the psychiatric visits, hmm?" Sloan looked at him through pleading eyes.  
  
Ed glanced at the auburn curly haired woman he's known for years. It was no use to lie to her, she like his mother would know. He let out a long deep cleansing sigh, "Okay, okay, I promise, I'll leave on time tonight."  
  
"On time for you is like around midnight," Sloan snapped back.  
  
"You got me again. I mean, I'll leave *early* tonight and I'm talking around six o'clock."  
  
Sloan leaned forward and stuck out her pinky, "Pinky shake."  
  
Ed looked around and then stuck out his pinky. Their pinkies intertwined and they shook on Ed's promise to leave early. Now Ed had to leave early, he promised and sealed it with a pinky shake. "There's no turning back now, Ed," Sloan jokingly said.  
  
Ed leaned back in his chair, "The last thing I want to do is break a pinky shake promise. I mean, no tellin' what misfortune will befall me if I do." They both enjoyed a quick laugh.  
  
"It's good to see you smile and hear you laugh again…please, do that more often." Sloan reached out, grabbed his hand and gave him a gentle squeeze. Ed smiled at her lovingly. And for a brief moment, Sloan saw the twinkle in his eyes again.   
  
TBC… 


	3. Chapter 3 Rated R for mild adult content

This chapter does contain some mild adult content. Thanks to everyone who have sent me feedback either onlist or off, it's greatly appreciated and keeps the muses going.

Chapter 3

When Ed returned to the lab he immediately grabbed the vial containing the saliva sample Darien took from Lewis. Ed chuckled softly to himself as he prepared the sample, "Darien, you truly are one of a kind…"

Ed sat down behind his desk as he waited for the DNA sample. He looked at earlier results and used the FBI data base that they have on mtDNA samples. He was going to compare his findings with that of the FBI to try and find a human match. His ultimate goal was to prove that there is no connection to Central Mexico genetically. The other human DNA samples he was using was his own as well as Claire, Sloan and Walter's DNA. This was a form of forensic anthropology, but without a body to study. 

Ed leaned back in his chair and propped a foot up on the edge of his desk. He rested his elbow on the arm rest and put his hand to his mouth. He stared off at the floor and let out a sigh. Sloan's words came back to him and he pondered them.

It had been nearly three weeks since he was rescued and the last time he had even advanced sexually on Claire was the day after he was released from the hospital. The President had reserved a room for him when Claire informed him that Ed would be able to leave just 24 hours after he had been admitted. All Ed really needed was just to receive fluids from an IV to treat the mild dehydration and get some solids in him. Claire had decided to stay one more night just so that Ed could get a good night sleep in a regular bed.

The memory of that night flashed quickly in Ed's mind.

Claire walked into the room first with Ed behind. He closed the door and quickly turned around. He reached out for Claire. They wrapped their arms around each other tightly. "I still can't believe this is real," Claire finally said.

"Me neither," Ed kissed her repeatedly. They pressed their bodies up against each other and Claire moaned. Ed reached down to her thigh and started to move his hand up. A horrid vision crept into his mind and his heart started racing. It was no longer Claire in his arms but Walter's boss. Images of what he did and the desire of what he wanted to do flashed through his mind like a bulb in a camera. He pushed Claire away from him, "No, I can't do this."

Claire watched him confused, "Ed…what's wrong?" She saw a small trickle of quicksilver run down his face. He kept backing away from her with a terrified expression on his face. 

"Get away from me!" He snarled as he disappeared. 

"Ed! Tell me what's wrong?" Claire said into thin air. She could hear him breathing heavily. "Ed…sweetheart…it's me…you can talk to me," she moved towards the sounds of the fearful panting. "Remember what Darien taught you, calm your heart and then we can talk. I want to help you but you have got to tell me what scared you." 

He didn't listen; her words fell on his death ears. All he knew was that he was going to hurt Claire. He rushed from the room and down the hall. As he opened the door to go down the stairs he heard Claire call out his name, "Ed!" He took off down the stairs.

Darien had found him in the bar a few minutes later and they had moved to a table for some privacy. They talked until the bar closed down but that couldn't keep them from drinking. Darien bought a few bottles of beer and the two found a place to be alone. They continued to talk until the sun came up. 

That was the last time that Ed had approached Claire, since then he had been too afraid, afraid that he would see Andrea Welsh's face again. He closed his eyes. Darien's words from that night flooded his mind, *It really wasn't you. Don't let it beat you by pushing Claire away. She knows what the madness made you do. Just talk to her.* His hand ran through his hair. He opened his eyes and looked up at the ceiling. A soft gentle voice spoke in his ear, *Go to her.* Ed looked around, "Darien?"

There was no answer. Ed quicksilvered his eyes and looked around. There was no one there. The quicksilver flaked off of Ed's eyes and he smiled. He had heard his own internal voice. He took a quick glance at his watch; he had some time before his next sample would be ready. He stood to his feet, squared his shoulders and walked out of the lab.

Ed came to the heavy door, took a deep breath, wiggled his shoulders and stretched his neck to loosen up. He felt like a teenager going to ask a girl out to the prom. His heart pounded and he could feel a small trickle of quicksilver flowing down his face, "Oh hell!" He took off running for the bathroom. 

He ran in, but then stopped to make sure he was alone. He searched the bathroom and found that other than him it was empty. Ed paced back and forth in front of the row of mirrors. "C'mon Tate, get a hold of yourself." He put one hand on his forehead and the other on his hip as he continued to pace around the bathroom. 

Hobbes walked in and saw Ed pacing. "Hey, what's up, doc?" Hobbes chuckled. "That was pretty funny, huh? I almost sounded like Bugs Bunny."

Ed turned around quickly, "Oh, Hobbes, I'm sorry, I uh…was just leaving."

Hobbes stepped in front of Ed and looked up at him with suspicion. "What are you doing down here anyway? Don't you have bathrooms upstairs?"

Ed looked around nervously, "Uh…yeah…but…I was…"

"You're goin' to see Claire aren't ya? Don't lie, Bobby Hobbes knows when someone's lyin'." Hobbes searched the dark chocolate colored eyes of his taller friend.

Ed scratched the back of his head, "Yeah, but…I…can't."

"Still afraid to face her romantically, huh?"

"Does everyone know my problems?" Ed said somewhat irritated.

"No one needs to gossip, doc, it's obvious. The way you ignore her, stay here late at night, you're here early in the morning and you're well…grumpy." Hobbes looked at Ed, "Sleepin' in the same bed don't mean a thing if you all youse doin' is sleepin'. You know what I mean?" He nudged Ed on his shoulder with his hand. "Take some advice from a guy who's been around and made his share of mistakes," Hobbes said as he put his arm around Ed's shoulder, "Just go in there and sweep her off her feet, sing Sinatra," his arm came off of Ed and he held out both his arms in front of him. "You need to do the whole courtship thing, my friend…" Hobbes started to move his hips back and forth as if he was slow dancing. "Just remember, it ain't about anything but you and Claire. Don't let those mooks take her away from you, especially the Leopard Queen." Hobbes put his arm around Ed again and started to finger punch on his chest, "Cause let me tell you somethin', you've got somethin' special waitin' for you." His body language suggested that Ed should look towards the Keep, "Don't let that get away cause of some nightmare. She's the cure, my friend." Hobbes then pointed to Ed's heart, "She's the cure for what's ailin' you in here..." then he touched Ed's forehead, "…and in here." He patted Ed on the back of his shoulder, "Comprende?"

Ed smiled, "Okay, Valentino, I get the hint."

"Good, now let me have a look at you." Hobbes took a step back and looked at Ed. An expression of semi-disgust came across his face and then he shook his head. "I swear you and Fawkes must have avoided the good-taste-in-fashion line. You guys are in serious need of makeovers. I don't even think _Queer Eye for the Straight Guy_ can help youse two out." 

Ed rolled his eyes, "C'mon, there's nothing wrong with the way I dress."

"Yeah, if you're a lifeguard." Hobbes stepped towards Ed, "Okay, let's see what we can do here to fix you up a bit." He pulled out his comb and started to fix Ed's hair, "Doesn't this mane of yours get in the way when you're peeking in those scopes?"

"Ahh…no." Ed stood there like a child waiting for his mom to finish brushing his hair. Hobbes caught a knot in Ed's hair, "OUCH! Hey, watch that!" Ed's hands shot up to his hair.

"Don't be a wuss, stop movin' and put your hands down." Hobbes finished with Ed's hair. "Okay, let me see." He took a good look at Ed's hair, "That's better, you should think about gel or somethin'." Hobbes started to straighten Ed's lab coat and brushed off any lint.

"Hobbes?"

"Yeah," he answered as he continued to attend to the taller man's appearance.

"Thanks."

Hobbes smiled, "No problem." He stepped back, "Okay, doc, I think you're ready. Remember, she needs you as much as you need her."

Ed pursed his lips together and nodded. He patted Hobbes on his back and held up his hands, made a fist and gave him the thumbs up. Hobbes turned and watched Ed leave. "Good luck, kid."

Ed approached the door again. Took a deep breath and let it out slowly, "Okay, I can do this." He reached into his back pocket and pulled out the card. He swiped it through and the door slid open. He stepped in semi-apprehensive. "Hey, Claire, you here?"

Claire popped her head up from behind one of her tanks towards the back of the Keep. A huge smile spread across her face when she saw Ed standing there. His visits to the Keep were very few since he came back to work. She came out from behind the tank to walk towards Ed. He came towards her as well. They met somewhere in the middle and Ed's mouth immediately covered hers as he gripped the sides of her face with his hands. The kiss deepened. Claire opened her mouth giving him an open invitation. Their lips pressed firmly against each other as they tasted each other. Ed's hand moved from her face to her back and slowly slid down towards her rear. Once there, he pushed her towards him. She moaned in his mouth as he pressed up against her. She could definitely feel his growing arousal. Her right leg lifted and wrapped around his leg. His hand went down to her left leg and he lifted her up. She wrapped both her legs around him as he carried her across the floor to the table. He set her down on the table and leaned forward but still supported her back. They finally broke off the kiss. They both panted heavily as they tried to catch their breath.

"I love you, Claire, I'm so sorry," Ed ran kisses down her neck.

Claire ran her hands through his hair, "I love you too…I've waited for you."

"I know you have," Ed reached with one hand to undo the buttons on her shirt. "I'll try my best, I promise," Ed pulled her shirt out of her skirt and opened it to reveal a lacy bra. He cupped her breast and kissed the area above her bra. Claire arched her back. Ed ran his hand over her face and she kissed his palm.

"I'm so lucky to have you," Ed said as he pulled up her skirt and ran his hand up her thigh. Claire's hands went to the front of his pants. She smiled at him seductively. "Ahh…hell," Ed exclaimed as his leg disappeared, he looked at his invisible leg and then back to Claire, "Ignore that."

Claire stroked him through his pants, "Ignore what?"

A part of Ed's chest disappeared, "Ahh, man."

Claire smiled, she pulled down his zipper and then quicksilver coated both of them. A devilish giggle erupted from Claire's mouth. 

"Well, at least we don't have to worry about hiding." Ed's disembodied voice said.

"We just need to be quiet."

"Fa…AHHHHT CHA…ah, yeeeaahhh…" Ed's voice trailed off into a male grunt of pleasure.

Darien bumped into Hobbes in the hallway, "Hey, where've you been?"

"I was in the bathroom with Tate."

Darien had an expression of perplexity on his face, "I don't even want to know."

"It was nothing like that, Fawkes, c'mon. We were just talking man to man." Hobbes started to walk down the hall. Darien chased after him. "So, is he okay?"

"Yeah, he'll be fine," Hobbes had a smile covering nearly his entire face. Darien got the hint and smiled big himself. He hit Hobbes on the shoulder. Hobbes playfully hit him back. They did this silent male macho bonding routine the entire length of the hall.

~*~

Tom walked into the lab. The machines were humming away and he heard the sound of the printer as it spit out its analysis. With a raised brow he studied the emptiness of the lab. Where were Sloan and Ed? He headed towards Ed's office and he saw papers spread across the desk. Then he started for Sloan's office when he sensed Sloan coming. He smiled and sat down on one of the stools. With his hands folded on his lap, he waited for her. 

Sloan walked in and didn't expect to see anyone sitting there let alone Tom. Her body jerked in surprise. Her hand went up to her heart. "Oh…Tom…" 

He stood up, "I'm sorry, Sloan, I didn't mean to scare you." They hugged and Tom followed Sloan to her office. He sat down on one of the chairs in front of her desk. "Do you know where Ed is?"

"No, I know he was here, but I don't know where he went. Do you need to talk to him?"

"No, actually, I'm glad we're alone. I want to talk to you about what Ed is doing."

"Tom, this isn't like with the serum. Ed is only trying to find the truth."

"Right, this is just as dangerous…for him." Tom's voice had trepidation in it. 

"You're afraid that the dominants will try to stop Ed from finding the truth?" Sloan asked.

Tom shook his head in his usual foreboding kind of way, "Yes I am. Ed needs to be careful."

Sloan looked out towards the lab, the machines continued to separate the DNA samples. Sloan paused in her thoughts, 'Lewis mistook Darien for Ed and gave him the dominant serum…What does Lewis really want with Ed?' She looked at Tom.

Tom looked at her with a raised brow, "You're concerned about Ed now, aren't you?"

"Yeah, I was just thinking back to when I first discovered the dominants. My initial results came up with no link between the two species. Lynch's DNA didn't match up to any human ethnic group. But when Ed tested little Kevin, he had found a way to compare the mtDNA and the UEP's. That's how he figured out that Frank wasn't Kevin's father, and made the genetic match to his human mother." Sloan gave Tom a worried look, "What will happen if Ed finds the truth?"

Tom pursed his lips together as he folded his arms in front of him. He knew what would happen if Ed's theory is true, but he didn't want to tell her. "Just let me know if Ed is able to find anything. If he does, it goes no further than us and Walter," Tom said.

Sloan looked at him for a moment trying to figure out why Tom wanted it kept a secret. Then it dawned on her, "Tom, you don't think Tara is a double agent? She's dating Hobbes. I doubt that…"

Tom cut Sloan off with a grin, "No, she's not a double agent. I would know and certainly Darien would know. She's on our side. I just want to make sure that a lot of people don't know of Ed's findings, for his sake. We were taught that we evolved naturally from humans. If Ed's theory turns out being the truth, it could cause chaos for my people."

"Why is that? I mean technically you still evolved from humans, whether by the natural course of nature or man made as Ed likes to put it," Sloan said.

Tom let out a sigh, "My people believe that nature selected us because we were superior even before we evolved."

"I see, just like when humans thought centuries ago that the earth was stationary and the sun revolved around the earth. When Galileo spoke up, it certainly did cause chaos. I understand what you're saying."

Tom stood up, "Sloan, I just think Ed needs to be careful that's all." He checked his watch, "I need to meet Darien and Hobbes. We're on the trail of the dominant serial killer and we have some areas to scout."

Sloan walked up to him and hugged him, "You be careful." Tom smiled and kissed her forehead, "I will." Sloan watched as Tom left. She sat back down and started to catch up on her own work. With Ed working on the research, she had more work to do. Which she didn't mind, she was glad that she things to do. It also kept her in the lab where she could keep her eyes on Ed.

~*~

Ed and Claire sat on the floor curled up in each other's arms in the back of the lab. Ed's hand was lightly stroking her hair. He let out a sigh of contentment. Claire smiled, "That sounded better than most of your sighs."

Ed half smiled, "I'm trying, Claire. But…" Ed stopped.

Claire turned to look at him trying to search his thoughts. "But…what?"

Ed took a hard swallow, "What we just did…I…it was hard…"

Claire smirked, "Isn't that supposed to happen." Claire wiggled her brows.

Ed rolled his eyes, "I'm not talking about *that*. C'mon Claire, I'm trying to be serious here."

"Okay, I'm sorry." Claire stood up, "If we're going to talk we should get more comfortable." She offered her hand and Ed took it. They walked over to the counteragent chair and she pulled up another chair to sit down. Ed sat on the counteragent chair. 

"Claire…it was…" Ed searched for a different word to use, "…difficult for me. I mean, with you it wasn't…but for me…I kept seeing her, you know…" Ed turned his glance towards the floor; he couldn't look Claire in the face.

Claire took Ed's hand into hers, "Ed, I promised that we would take one thing at a time and work on it. But you did it and you initiated it, so I'm proud of you. That was a big step."

Ed partly smiled. "I'm sorry, you know, for avoiding you and running away."

"Ed, I wasn't angry with you. I was more than willing to be patient and wait for when the time was right for you." Claire paused searching for the right words to say. She continued after a few moments, "I'm not going to push you into anything you're not ready to handle yet. If this is an issue you would like to work on than that's fine with me. And I don't mean it because of the sex but because this is what you might need to resolve next. It only means that you're ready, that's all."

"It doesn't bother you that I wanted to rape her?" Ed asked apprehensively. 

"No, cause I know *you*. I know what kind of person you truly are and that demon does not lie within you. I want you to remember that quicksilver madness makes you do things that you normally would not do. Like with Darien, it was not you. If it bothered me that you wanted to rape her, I wouldn't be living with you or marrying you for that matter. I love you, Ed, and nothing the madness makes you do can take that away."

Ed smiled at her and leaned over to hug her, "Thanks, babe. I do feel better now."

"Well, you should," Claire smiled mischievously. 

Ed chuckled, "Okay, smart ass."

"And I have a present for you," Claire got up and headed towards her desk.

Ed jumped off the counteragent chair and followed her, "What is it?"

Claire turned her monitor so Ed could see it. "I think I may have found something in those disks you gave me."

"Really!?!" Ed studied the notes on the screen.

"Remember how you told me about the toxin causing a chemical imbalance?"

"Yeah," Ed trailed off waiting for Claire to continue.

"Well, I think you were onto something. I might be able to come up with something for you to take to counteract the chemical imbalance."

"Oh you mean like someone with a mental disorder, depression, bi-polar…like Hobbes."

Claire chuckled, "Yeah, like Bobby. I think I can give you a pill or a liquid to take daily that would counteract the chemical imbalance. In other words, instead of having a shot of counteragent weekly you might need it bi-weekly or even once a month. Of course that's without quicksilver usage. Then you would still need the strength of counteragent injection. This would just be something to help on a daily basis."

"Claire, that's great." Ed voice was filled with excitement. "Have you started testing it yet?"

"I'm about to, but my models are looking good that this will work. It's like oral counteragent but you won't risk a tolerance build up. It'll lesson the amount of toxin that the gland still puts into your system daily. So, instead of having a segment turn red daily it may only turn red every two days or maybe three." Claire looked at Ed with a smile. "Ed, I might be real close to finding a cure and if this works, I'll have a starting place," she put her hand up to his face, "Sweetheart, I know what you went through was very difficult, but the information they gathered, well…it's valuable."

Ed sighed deeply, "I know. Good comes out of bad things."

"This is information that we normally wouldn't have. I would never put you through anything like that to get it and for what it's worth, it's going to help you in the long run," Claire said looking at him sadly. She knows the trauma that it caused and she would love to be able to turn back the clock so it wouldn't happen. But, on the other hand, it's the information she needed to help find a cure and maybe, a way to remove the gland.

Ed straightened up to full height, "I know." The beeper on Ed's belt went off. He checked it, "Oh, that's my DNA sample…" he bent down and kissed her, "Thanks, for everything. I'm lucky to have you." He grabbed his lab coat and headed out of the Keep.

Ed rushed into the lab and quickly headed for the computer. Sloan got up to join him to see the results. He looked at her, "Well, let's see what we got." He started up the program to read the analysis of Lewis' DNA. Ed smiled, "It worked, Sloan, it broke down his UEP's…I should be able to study it further."

Sloan patted Ed on his back, "Good job, Ed. We could learn even more about them."

Ed nodded as he started up the comparison program, "That's the whole idea…I'm trying to see if there's a match on all the known samples that the FBI has." Ed waited and the monitor flashed that there's no known match. "Well, okay…" Ed typed in another command, "Now I'm going to check our own database. This has even our DNA information so I…ah…my God!" Ed paused, his face turned pale.

Sloan looked at Ed, "What is it?"

Ed scooted away from the computer and stood up on shaky legs. His hand ran through his hair, "I've…I've got to check this again." This time, Ed leaned over the keyboard and harshly typed the command, he hit enter. A few moments later he saw the same result. He slowly stood straight, "I can't believe this." He looked at Sloan ominously, "I've got a match."

"Really? Who?" Sloan looked at the result of the analysis. Her heart nearly stopped. She glanced at Ed. "This can't be correct," she said. 

"Sloan, I've ran the test twice."

"But maybe the sample is wrong, maybe Darien wrote the wrong name on the vial."

"No, it's from Lewis alright. See…" Ed pointed to the screen where it listed the people from the data base related to Lewis, "…there's his match with Tara." All the blood rushed from Ed's face making his tanned features look white as the lab's walls.

"What are you going to do?" Sloan asked.

Ed looked at her with distant eyes, "I…I don't know. I mean, this is why genealogists warn people who want to trace their heritage…they might find something that they don't like and this certainly falls in that category."

Sloan hugged Ed, "You have to delete this, Ed."

"I can't, it's all there. I have to bring this to Walter, he needs to know," Ed grabbed the analysis and left the lab with Sloan trailing behind him.

Ed walked straight into Walter's office and without saying a word tossed the papers on his desk. Walter gave Ed a glance and picked up the papers, "What's this? Not your resignation letter I hope."

"Just read," Ed said sternly.

"Very well," Walter replied and started to read. Ed stood watching him with his hands on his hips. Sloan stood next to him with arms crossed in front of her. Walter glanced up at Ed quickly, "Are you sure about this?"

"Pretty sure, I ran the test twice. I know of a way to confirm it, but I'll have to get another sample."

"From Lewis?" Sloan asked. 

"No…" Ed stared at Walter through grim eyes, "My father."

TBC…


	4. Chapter 4 Rated R

WARNING: Adult content ahead! Also, eating or drinking could be harmful to your computer. Please put all drinks and food down and wait until after you're done reading. 

Chapter 4

Walter took his glasses off and looked at Ed, "How many generations does this go back?"

"Well, according to the analysis maybe at least four generations. Lewis' great-great grandfather could be my great-great-great grandfather."

Walter glanced at Sloan and then back to Ed, "So, that would make you what? Cousins?"

"Uhm…yeah, distant cousins. Lewis could be like my third cousin and Tara would be my fourth cousin…or something like that. I haven't sat down to chart it out yet. But according to this…Lewis and I have a common ancestry. We're a part of the same haplogroup."

"Well, for what it's worth, Ed, you did a great job. I think Ann would be proud with what you accomplished here. When we first started this sort of documentation wasn't possible."

"Thanks. One thing's for sure, I have a starting point...just didn't think it would've been me." Ed half smiled and it was more of a forced one than a sincere one.

Walter turned around and shredded the papers, "Ed, back everything up to disk and don't save any paperwork. If news of your relationship to Lewis got out, I have no idea what would happen."

"Walter, Tom found out that Lewis had him kill his own mother, I doubt he has any real sense of family bonding or loyalty," Ed remarked.

"That maybe true, Ed, but I'm not willing to take any chances. He's already shown his desire to turn you and this may give him more of an incentive to succeed next time." Walter glared at Ed and Sloan, "Try and keep this among us, okay, the less people who know the better."

"What about Darien and Tom…shouldn't they at least know?" Sloan asked.

"Oh and Claire, since well, you know..." Ed added with a hint of awkwardness in his voice

Walter took in a deep breath and exhaled slowly. He leaned back on his chair and tapped his pen on top of the desk. "Okay, that might be a good idea to let Darien and Tom know. Darien would probably find out anyway." Ed and Sloan smiled at each other. "I understand about letting Claire know, since you are under psychiatric treatment with her, she would need to know."

"Geesh, Walter, you make it sound like I'm nutso or something," Ed said feeling extremely self-conscious at the moment.

"Sorry, Ed, it's not personal." Walter smiled at Ed. 

~*~

Ed stood in front of his family tree chart with the names that he knew of after speaking with his father. Darien and Hobbes stared at the chart with confusion. "This whole family tree business makes my head spin," Hobbes retorted. 

"Tell me about it," Darien answered back taking a sip from a large cup filled with coke.

"What are you going to do?" Claire asked.

Ed shook his head, "Nothin' really. I have one match and that's not enough to state my case. I'm not even sure if my dad even knows his family ancestry. The only thing I can say is that my great, great, great-grandfather may have had say…two sons. From these two sons sprang two more families of the Tate bloodline and so on and so on."

"Oh, wait, so that means that Lewis may not be his last name but a first name."

"Yeah, his last name would be Tate, if he even uses his real name." Ed said.

"Oh crap…" Darien said apprehensively. 

"But wait...explain all this to me again," Hobbes stated with a hint of confusion in his tone.

Darien rolled his eyes remembering what Ed had said in the Oval Office. Now he was about to hear it all over again. "Great, here we go again."

"Okay, uh…what I'm looking for in my tests is the UEP's in the DNA of the Y-chromosome. These genetic markers are passed down only from father to son and they mutate very rarely. This is how we're able to group descendants together in one haplogroup. A male who first shows the mutation is the paternal founding father of that particular group. What I found is that Lewis and I share the same UEP mutation that was handed down from the men in our haplogroup. I used this same technique to determine that Frank was not Kevin's father." Ed shrugged his shoulders, "they didn't share the same mutation in the Y-chromosome."

"Whoa…this is deep…so you're like related to this wacko?" Hobbes stated.

Ed let out a sigh, "Yeah, I am, and the weird thing is, he may not even know it." Ed looked around the room at the faces staring at him in bewilderment. No one knew what to think about this latest development and neither did Ed.

Walter sat up in his chair, "This result is to remain a secret among us. We don't need any word slipping out about Ed's findings. Do I make myself clear?" The group gathered in the room nodded in agreement. "Good," he glanced over at Ed, "Continue your work as if nothing happened. I'm sure you'll come up with another match."

Ed shifted his weight on his feet, "Wait, are you saying that you don't want me to include this result in my reports?"

"That's exactly what I'm telling you. Ed, no one needs to know about your relationship to Lewis especially the Government." Walter didn't want Ed in any more danger. It was enough that he was involved in this project. People on both sides would do anything to make sure he didn't learn the truth. And if Lewis found out or anyone else that Ed is related to one of the most wanted dominants then his life could be in danger more than it is already.

Ed shook his head, "Okay, you're giving me permission to lie to the President?"

"Why not, he does it all the time," Darien quipped as he munched on a bag of peanuts. 

"I can't believe you said that, partner," Hobbes retorted.

"Oh come on, like what politician do you know that doesn't lie?" Darien answered back.

"You got a point there, my evolved friend."

"Word." Darien and Hobbes gave each other a low-five. Ed chuckled as he looked down at the floor. Tom raised a brow at the verbal exchange between Darien and Hobbes. 'We're not that different, even our own leaders have lied to us,' Tom thought to himself.

"If we all have an understanding about this situation then you're all free to go," Walter announced. 

Ed walked out first and Claire grabbed his arm. "You okay?" She asked with concern. The others followed behind them but went in another direction when Claire asked her question. 

"Yeah, actually, I am. It's kinda strange to know that I'm related to Lewis, but in all actuality it's such a distant relation that I don't care. I mean, I'm in no rush to go find him for a family reunion or anything like that. He's a dominant, one who trains killers…as far as I'm concerned, he's not family."

"Well, okay, but if you need to talk, you know where to find me," Claire gave his arm a squeeze.

"And I know where you live," Ed returned in a jovial tone. He stopped and turned to face her, "I'm going to come home early tonight and I mean that. How about we go out to dinner?"

Claire smiled, "I would like that."

"Good, then it's a date." Ed walked her to the elevator. He kissed her and watched as the door closed. He turned and headed back inside the lab to continue his research. 

~*~

The big weekend arrived finally and the group of misfit agents, scientists and dominants were ready to attend two very special parties then the main event. It was time to introduce Tom, Mark and Shane to the old human tradition of 'The Bachelor Party'. They had heard about human traditions and how ridiculous they were. But nothing could have prepared them for the night they were about to have and Hobbes was in charge.

The men all met at Hobbes' apartment and he served them beer as they waited for Darien, who was typically late. Hobbes obviously irritated checked his watch for the umpteenth time, "Fawkes, I swear you'd be late for your own funeral…" He glanced apologetically at Ed when he realized what he said, "Oh…Tate…I'm sorry."

Ed shook his head, "Nope, it's okay, Hobbes. I didn't take it personally, but uhm…was I late?"

There was silence in the room for what seemed like an eternity. Ed causally took a sip of his beer. Hobbes and Ray finally started to laugh. Ed's father, Jonathan and Claire's father, James, didn't know what to make of Ed's remark, but in the end they started to laugh as well. Tom, Mark and Shane suddenly realized that Ed had made a joke. 

Ed looked at the three dominants, "Relax guys, you don't have to walk on egg shells around me." Ed looked up at Hobbes when there was a knock at the door. All the men stood up as Hobbes opened the door. Eberts was standing there next to Darien and Darcy's father, Jacob. Hobbes glared at Darien, "It's about time, Fawkes."

"I tried, Robert, but Darcy was giving Darien…how should I say it…a threat."

Ray snickered, "I bet she did."

"Dominant women can be very…persuasive." Mark added.

"Territorial is more like it." Ed commented under his breath.

"So, is that why you chose a human female, Tom?" Shane asked.

Tom's brow curved, "Human females can be just as aggressive."

"Okay, so are we gonna talk about differences between human and dominant chicks or are we gonna party?" Hobbes asked.

Darien leaned back and hollored, "It's time to paarrtaaayyy!"

"Fawkes, not so loud, I have neighbors you know." Hobbes picked up the bottle of champagne. 

Darien noticed two trays with glasses on them. "Hey, we expecting more people?"

"No," Tom answered.

"Then why the two sets of glasses?" Darien asked.

"Custom dictates that after a toast has been made to the bride that the glasses are broken thus preventing the glasses from being used for anything else again. It is considered bad luck for the marriage." Eberts answered in his usual confident manner. 

Darien's forehead creased in surprise, "Ebes, you're a walking encyclopedia."

"Thank you, Darien…I think."

Darien noticed that Hobbes was about to open the bottle. "Uh-oh…look out!" Darien said as he covered his head. The cork popped and hit the ceiling sending the cork flying across the room and landing safely on the floor. Everyone covered their heads with their hands. 

"All right there hairball," Hobbes said as he poured Darien's glass and then the others. "Okay, Fawkes, Tate, since you're the grooms you need to make the traditional toast to your brides-to-be."

All the men held up their glasses. "To Darcy, to her health and for the great woman that she is," Darien announced. They tapped their glasses together as they said "To Darcy" in unison and drank. The glasses were wrapped in cloth and broken.

Another round of champagne was poured for Ed's toast. Again they held up their glasses. "To Claire," Ed paused, he became serious for a moment. Everyone looked at him. The dominants in the room could sense the emotion building up and Darien put his hand on his shoulder. Ed glanced at him and smiled. He turned his attention to everyone and continued, "Uhm…I never knew that I could love someone as deeply as I love Claire. So, I propose a toast to her health and the strong steadfast woman that she is."

A chorus of clanking glasses and the words, "To Claire," echoed around the room. Just as before, the empty glasses were wrapped and broken.

Hobbes had promised Tom, Mark and Shane some good clean fun and camaraderie for their first bachelor party. That was something that dominant men were not used to. This was going to be a great learning experience for them and they looked forward to it. Hobbes had explained the tradition of the bachelor party and Tom found it an intriguing custom. The groom celebrates the end of his bachelorhood, but still acknowledges his loyalty to his friends. 

"Time to go," Hobbes announced. They grabbed their bags and headed for a night of fun at Pala Casino, Resort and Spa. 

~*~

The ladies had gathered for their own bit of fun at Irene's in Laguna Beach. In the morning the brides, mother of the brides along with the mother of the grooms will go to a local salon and get ready for the back-to-back weddings. The two beachside ceremonies will take place at the Montage Resort later on in the day. But first, it was time to party and enjoy some good laughs. The house was decorated with the typical Bridal Shower decorations. Since it was a party for both Darcy and Claire they used the traditional pink and white colors.

All the guests had arrived and the drinks started to flow. Claire looked in her glass and nearly spit out her drink. "What's the matter, Claire?" Sloan asked innocently.

"Well, I've uhm…got penis shaped ice cubes in my drink." Claire stated as she examined the contents of her glass. "Oh my, even the straw is male shaped."

Sloan smiled wickedly. "I do too," Darcy exclaimed. A chorus of "Me too" and "So do I" echoed around the room. "I hate to see what she brings out next," Claire stated as Sloan brought out penis shaped hors d' oeuvres. The women started laughing and quickly snatched them up. After the women were done snacking, Sloan started the party. She pulled out the box of goodies and asked everyone to join her at the table.

"Can we bring our drinks?" Claire asked.

Sloan chuckled, "Of course, Claire." When everyone was seated, she began to explain what they were about to do. "Okay, this is not a game, but something I thought would be fun. You know how we're always getting the bride-to-be sexy lingerie but we never get anything for the men. Well, that's about to change." She dug into the box and started to toss packages on the table. 

Irene picked one up and started to laugh, "Oh my Lord!"

"Yep, that's right ladies, we're going to make thongs for the grooms."

Darcy's mother, Katherine, started to laugh and dug into the pile to find something interesting. She discovered the tuxedo thong with the ball and chain attached to it. "Okay, I got mine!" She announced enthusiastically. 

"I'm in trouble," Darcy commented.

"No, that husband-to-be of yours is," Katherine retorted jokingly. The other women started to laugh.

Sloan handed Darcy and Claire their pre-arranged packages. "The brides have already selected a combo package. Darcy has selected the brave/squaw Indian thong set and Claire selected the Tarzan/Jane thong set."

Irene nearly spit out her drink. "Oh my!" She could barely hold in her laughter. "I wish my bachelorette party was this much fun." Irene looked for hers and she started to laugh, "Oh, this is just too funny…but I don't think it's long enough…oh…" Irene turned red as she blushed deeply. "That didn't come out right," she said trying hard to hold back her laughter.

All the women leaned their heads back and started to laugh. Katherine looked at Irene with tears running down her cheeks, "I think that's for Claire to decide."

"What is it?" Claire asked.

"The elephant one…" Irene held up the package and the women couldn't stop laughing.

Claire took it from her and opened it up. "You know, I think you're right, it's not long enough…" Claire added after examining the length of the elephant's trunk.

"Oh my God, we're in for quite a night," Sloan said as she desperately tried to get herself under control.

"What else you got there?" Gracie asked as she rummaged through the packages.

"Well, there's a peacock that you can put feathers on."

"Oohh…I like that one…where is it?" Gracie scanned the scattered mess on the table and found two of the peacock thongs. "This is going to be fun," she announced, "I'm going to make one for both of them."

Claire's mother, Victoria, hunted through the packages before she found one that she liked. "The kilt one is adorable," she said as she opened the package.

"So, I guess we'll really find out if men do wear anything under those kilts," Darcy snickered.

"Historically speaking, they didn't wear anything," Claire said amusingly.

Tara wasn't sure what to make of all the jovial discussion. She suddenly realized what she had been missing in her life, fun. It wasn't something that she was used to. Dominants were raised in a firm environment, it was necessary for survival. But now she knows it was all lies, everything that her father had told her was all lies. Humans and dominants have a lot to learn from each other and their true survival was in co-existence. She smiled as she reached for a package.

"Which one are you doing?" Darcy asked sensing the emotional revelation that Tara just had.

"I'll make one for Ed and Darien too…hmm…this cobra one is interesting…and so is the mesh one with the chain…it's so…revealing…" Tara noted as she stared at the male model wearing the mesh thong that didn't leave much to the imagination.

"Ed is going to have a fit," Claire giggled as she put together the front flap for the Tarzan thong.

~*~ 

It took the men nearly an hour to get to the casino and spa. They checked in at the front desk to get their rooms. Ed and Darien were going to stay in the Grand Suite. The other men would stay in the Deluxe Suites. 

Darien and Ed walked into their room with the bellhop following behind them with their luggage. "My God!" Ed exclaimed.

"Whoa…just think, I used to rob places like this," Darien turned and looked at the bellhop, "But not anymore of course, I work for the Government now. So I steal legally…kidding… you get it? Government…steal…"

Ed was already across the room and looking at the French doors leading into the bedroom area. "Darien, check this out!" Ed sounded like a child discovering something for the first time.

"Be right there," Darien gave the bellhop his tip, "Thanks."

"If you need anything, just phone the front the desk."

"Will do." Darien waited for the bellhop to leave and then followed the sound of Ed's voice. "Wow…this is like the Presidential suite."

"Tell me about it, we've got a Jacuzzi bathtub, and check this out," Ed pointed to the shower, "…two people can fit in this shower…look…two shower heads and a separate body wash…"

"You know what would make this room perfect?" Darien asked.

"The girls?" Ed answered.

"Yep, cause taking a shower with you is not on my list of things to do while I'm here. Nothing personal."

Ed laughed, "Like wise. I'll have to bring Claire here. She'll love it." Ed said as he rushed passed Darien to check out the rest of the suite. As Ed entered the living area, there was a knock at the door and the sound of Hobbes' voice, "Hey, you two, open up."

Ed opened the door and let the other men enter. Hobbes whistled, "So, this is the Grand Suite…very nice."

Darien came out of the bathroom, "Hey, Hobbesy, check this place out. We've got a wet bar and a mini bar."

"You would notice that," Hobbes retorted. "Well, we can either stand here or go down stairs and start this party."

"I vote for going downstairs," Darien stated.

"Me too," Ed added. 

"Hold on twin peaks, you've got to wear something first." 

Ed and Darien shot each other worried glances. Hobbes pulled out two badges and handed them to the bewildered men, "You've got to wear these."

Ed and Darien studied the _Spin for a Dare_ pins. Ed looked at Hobbes bemused, "All the dares say 'show me your boobs'."

"That's right, my friend. And you're not allowed back up here until all these beads are gone," Hobbes pulled out two pre-pared strands of mardi gras beads. He put them around the grooms-to-be necks.

"I like this game," Darien mused as he examined the colorful beads.

"If I were you, I wouldn't tell Darcy," Ray added.

Ed and Darien amused by their new task of getting rid of the beads, headed out of the room. Darien turned to Ed, "At least he's not making us wear that ball and chain thing." Darien felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned to see Hobbes standing behind him.

"I almost did," Hobbes scooted in front of the tall men and quickly made his way to the elevator.

~*~

The ladies finished with the thongs and went on to their first game. Sloan rolled out a poster with a guy on it with a bull's eye target on his private parts area. All the women started to giggle.

"Can't have a bachelorette party without _Pin the Macho on the Man_ game now could we?" Sloan passed around the 'machos' and explained the rules of the game. "The person who gets the 'macho' in the right place or close to it wins. "The Brides will go first." Sloan put the blindfold on Darcy and spun her around three times. Sloan guided her to the poster. She repeated this until everyone had a chance. Most of the 'machos' ended up in unusual places and everyone shared a good laugh at how odd the man looked with 'machos' pinned to him in every place imaginable. Claire won the game by getting her 'macho' pretty close to the right the spot.

Sloan brought out the next game. "I think I need another drink," Claire stated as she got up and opened up the ice bucket. It was filled with penis shaped ice cubes. Claire burst out laughing, "Sloan! You went a little crazy with these ice cubes," she held one up by the ice tongs.

"Well, this is a bachelorette party." Sloan hung two paper plates from the ceiling. There were holes cut in the middle of the plates. "Okay, now, we're going to play _Pecker In the Hole_ game. Here's the object…" she held up one of the male shaped pop guns and sprayed it with vegetable oil to lubricate it so that it'll work easier. "You have to squeeze the testicles…"

"Sloan, please, we're not in med school. Call them 'balls' for crying out loud," Darcy retorted. Everyone started to laugh hard. It took the ladies a good ten minutes to calm down for Sloan to continue. 

Sloan's face was a deep red color as she gripped the penis pop gun in both hands. "Okay, so you squeeze the…balls…as hard and fast as you can like this…" Sloan illustrated the directions. Giggles could be heard along with a 'ouch' here and there. Suddenly the shaft of the gun popped off and flew across the room. Laughter broke out again. 

"If I did that to Ed his eyes would pop out of his head," Claire stated as she laughed and wiped the tears from her face. That comment only made the hysterics worse. Sloan feared that they may never get to play the game.

~*~

Ed headed straight for the poker table. Darien went over to the 'craps' tables with Mark and Shane, while the others tried their hand at the slot machines. Hobbes and Tom made a discreet exit and headed back up to the Grand Suite where the real party will take place. 

After a few hours the rest of the party headed upstairs to help Hobbes and Tom decorate the room. Ed made out like a bandit at the poker tables and decided to head to one the café's.  

Darien came in and found Ed sitting alone at one of the tables. He sat down and studied Ed for a moment. "For someone who was like 'Maverick' at poker you sure do look depressed."

Ed smiled and looked into his beer before taking a sip. "I'm just in deep thought."

"I can tell. So, what's eatin' ya?"

Ed let out a long sigh, "When I was at Copeland's encampment he wanted me to join him in what he was doing. I told him that I could never betray my friends or my species. He said that the scientist in me wouldn't be able to resist." Ed paused and then continued, "I never told anyone this but there were two reasons why I needed to escape, one was to get word to Walter about what was going to happen and two…because I knew that Copeland was right…" he looked up at Darien serious for a moment, "…the scientist in me wasn't going to be able to resist."

"You can't beat yourself up over that, Ed. It was a long time ago and plus you stopped him."

"Yeah, but it's happening again. Darien, I don't know when to shut the scientist in me off."

"Maybe you're not supposed to. I mean, it's what keeps you seeking answers isn't it?"

"I guess so, but where do I draw the line?"

Darien searched his friend's expression. Something was bothering Ed and he wasn't about to read his mind to find out. "Okay, so are you going to dance around the subject or are you going to tell me what's bothering you?"

"Alright, here goes. With the babies I have an opportunity to study a first generation of dominants after the parents were converted." Ed looked at Darien and studied him for a moment. He looked away, "I'm sorry, Darien."

Darien shook his head as if in agreement, "It's okay, Ed. Remember, I grew up with a scientist. I know how you guys think."

"You know I wouldn't do anything to harm Darcy and the babies, it's just that…" Ed stopped in mid sentence and started to vehemently shake his head, "No, I won't. I won't even ask. Forget I even said anything."

"If not you, then who?"

"What? What do you mean?" Ed asked not sure what to think of Darien's question.

"Look, I may not be as smart as you or Claire but I do know how scientists can be. If Limo Lady was still around do you think she would hesitate in wanting to run tests on Darcy and the babies? Heck no, she would jump at the opportunity."

"There's a big difference between me and her, Darien."

"That's my point." Darien leaned forward on his chair, "Look, I know that even Walter might be dancing around with the same idea and frankly, I know that you need answers."

"Darien, I'm not…won't turn your family into lab rats."

"I know you wouldn't do that. But think about it, what do you really need to know?"

Ed let out a sigh, "Well, for starters, if one of the babies is a female then I can run a test to see if she's born with four uteruses."

"And how would you do that?"

"Oh, it's very painless; an ultrasound is all I would need to do."

"Okay, then what?"

"See what tendencies they have as they grow, like…violent behavior, how smart they are, and keep documentation during their developmental years to compare with human children of the same age…those sort of things."

Darien pursed his lips together. "Would you need to run these tests in a lab?"

Ed moved his head in a negative motion, "No, not really. Sometimes your best results are in surroundings that are normal for the subject." Ed stopped and became annoyed with himself, "Listen to me, I'm acting as if the research has started already."

"Look, Ed, you want to learn more about dominants and their origins, right?"

"Yeah."

"When will this opportunity come around again?"

"Only if Darcy becomes pregnant again."

"There see, and there's a fat chance of that happening again. Look, I trust you more than I would anyone else. Let me talk to Darcy and see what she says."

"Thanks, for understanding. It would really help in my research and answer a few questions." Ed said as she took another sip of his beer.

"It's cool. And here I thought you were nervous about tomorrow." 

"I am nervous about that." Ed said.

"You're not getting cold feet are you?"

"What? Oh, no. Just nervous."

Darien took a look at Ed's 'spinner' pin. "So, ah…anyone spin your pin?" He hoped to lighten Ed's mood up a bit.

Ed looked down at his shirt, "My God, I forgot I had this on!" He shook his head, "I can't believe Hobbes…well, yes I can."

Darien chuckled as the waitress came over. "Sorry I took so long…" she stopped when she saw Darien and then glanced at Ed, "Twins! How nice and getting married too I see."

Darien glanced down at his pin and smiled embarrassingly, "Yeah."

"I'm sorry if this offends you, but it's all part of the 'bachelor's last night out' game I guess." Ed said sheepishly.

"Not offended, but may I?"

Darien looked at her and realized what she wanted to do. "Nah, it's okay, you don't have to."

"But your twin said it's all part of the game, so I might as well play." She bent down and spun Darien's pin and then Ed's. The arrows landed on 'show me your boobs'.

"If you two boys wait I'll pay my debt. Besides, I want to have one of those mardi gras beads around your necks."

"But all the dares are the same, you really don't have to." Ed felt Darien kick him under the table. "Ow, hey!"

Darien glared at Ed, "You said it, bro. It's all part of the game. Besides if we go upstairs with all these beads Hobbes will shoot us."

"Oh, I'm sorry, would you like a drink?" The waitress asked looking at Darien.

"A beer, same as what he's having," Darien answered as he pointed to Ed's drink.

The waitress smiled at Ed, "And can I get you another one?"

"Yeah, I have a feeling it's going to be a long night," Ed retorted annoyingly as he rubbed his sore leg.

Ed was right; it turned out to be a long and interesting night. They ended up having just about every waitress and other ladies come over and spin their pins. By the time Darien and Ed made it back upstairs to their room, all their beads were gone. When they opened the door blown up brightly colored condoms were everywhere. "What in the…" Darien was interrupted by Jacob, Jonathan, Ray and Shane making noise with their party favors. Hobbes had a water gun shaped like boobs and he squirted Darien and Ed with it. Eberts, James, Tom and Mark pulled on poppers and streamers sprayed into the air covering the shocked grooms.

~*~

Sloan brought out the cake and unlike the other things, this was not in the shape of the male anatomy. This cake was round and had four doves on it with wedding rings between them, under one set of doves were the names, Darcy and Darien. The other doves had the names, Claire and Ed, written underneath. There were also silver candy pearls decorating the cake. Claire and Darcy nearly started crying when they saw the cake. 

"Sloan, this is beautiful," Claire stated.

"Yeah, perfect, Sloan." Darcy added. 

"Let's have a toast shall we before we have the cake," Sloan said. Champagne glasses were passed around and the bubbly liquid poured, except Darcy had a non-alcoholic beverage. "Okay, I'd just like to say to Claire and Darcy, break a leg…oh wait, that's in acting. Okay seriously now, to Claire and Ed, Darcy and Darien, happiness and health." They clanked their glasses together. "Uhm, I would just like to say that I've known Ed for a very long time, we went to school together, worked together, cried and laughed together. He's been like a brother to me and I can't think of anybody better for him then you, Claire. Since he met you, he's been the happiest I've ever seen him. Thank you for getting him out my hair…" There was laughter around the room.

"I'll drink to that," Irene stated. She turned to Claire and hugged her. Victoria then hugged Claire and then Irene.

"Darcy, I've only known you and Darien for a short time, but I have to say, that you two were literally made for each other. But I do know that Darien's life has been tougher than we could ever imagine. When you came into his life, you sparked something in him that has been dormant for a long time, a reason to love again completely. Thank you for turning his sorrow into joy."

"Here, here!" Claire yelled out. Madeline and Aunt Celia got up and went to Darcy, the three women hugged.

"I wish his mother could be here, I know that she would love you as a daughter," Aunt Celia then kissed Darcy on her cheek.

Katherine smiled. She knows what her daughter went through and Darien for that matter. How their humanity was taken from them. She would be forever thankful to Darien for bringing her daughter back home to her and she welcomed him as a son. She got up and went to her daughter and hugged her tightly. She then hugged Aunt Cecilia and Madeline.

Claire and Darcy were pulled away from everyone and they cut the cake together. Sloan brought out the coffee to go along with the cake. When everyone was nearly done, Sloan slipped away and retrieved the last game for the evening, a penis shaped piñata. 

"Now that's what I'm talking about," Gracie quipped when she saw the piñata. "Where's that stick?"

Each woman took turns at the piñata while Sloan played, _Girls Just Want to Have Fun_ and Denise Williams', _Let's Hear It for the Boy_.

~*~

The following morning, Hobbes knocked on the door and used the card key to get inside. "Rise and shine sleeping grooms, it's time for Ed and Darien's big adventure!" Hobbes announced.

Darien rushed to the living room and tripped along the way. Ed glanced up from the bed and smirked, "Very graceful."

Darien glared back at Ed and opened the door, "Hobbes, do you realize what time it is?" He spat out while running his hand over his forehead.

"Yes, it's time for the Grooms to get ready and then later on spa treatments with your brides," Hobbes said as he pushed his way passed Darien. "I can't help it if you two drank all night to get rid of those beads."

"What?" Darien countered still half asleep. Ed sat up on the bed with a confused expression.

"You heard me," Hobbes retorted as he grabbed a banana from the complimentary fruit basket.

"Yeah, and I thought you said something about spa treatments?" Darien said as he grabbed the banana from Hobbes' hand.

"You didn't know? It goes along with the package…couples are treated to a spa treatment. It's in the brochure, Fawkes. It'll take about two and half hours."

"Awesome," Ed said as he hopped from the bed. "When do we go?" 

"I believe that'll be tomorrow, but first you two need to get married...well not to each other of course, but to you know, Darcy and Claire." Hobbes shrugged his shoulders and tried to hide his embarrassment.

Darien rolled his eyes in frustration. "I know what you meant. Now tell me, what does this spa include? Not a mud bath I hope."

"Mud baths are great," Ed stated matter-of-factly.

"You're kidding me right? You've taken mud baths?"

"Sure. Haven't you?"

"Okay, you know, the more I get to know you the more you don't act like a scientist. Now the next thing you'll tell me is that you sun bathe in the nude."

"Of course, don't you?" Ed asked as he grabbed a handful of grapes and walked off to order room service.

Darien stared off into another part of the room contemplating Ed's sudden revelation about himself. Hobbes shook his head, "You know, he does act more like a lifeguard then a double D."

"Yeah, well, the next time I go over to his house I'll remember to call first."

TBC…


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

"Stop fidgeting!" Darien said in exasperation.

"I can't help it…" after a brief pause, Ed continued uneasily, "…I'm nervous."

Darien smiled as he fixed the bow tie on his twin, "You'll do fine. Besides, you're not the only one getting married today."

"I know, I know…" Ed said in defeat, "But I'm still nervous. I mean, what if I trip or something?"

"Tripping isn't what you should be concerned about if you don't get your heart rate under control..." Darien snapped his fingers as his hands moved in a zig-zag motion, "…You know what I'm saying?"

Ed ran a hand through his thick hair with a sigh of frustration, "Yeah, I keep forgetting about that." He felt a reassuring hand on his shoulder. He and Claire had decided to get married as soon as possible when they had flown back to San Diego from Washington, D.C. With all that had happened they didn't want to wait any longer than what was necessary. It was Darien and Darcy that came up with the idea of back-to-back weddings. And with everything Ed and Claire been through, Darien and Darcy decided that they would go first. 

"You'll be fine. We both will." Darien finished with Ed's tie. "There you go."

Ed turned and looked in the mirror. He looked at himself and frowned, "I look like a tall emaciated penguin." 

Darien chuckled in response. Ed glanced at Darien through the mirror, "How do you know how to tie a bow tie?" Ed saw the quizzical look that Darien cast his way. "I mean, you don't exactly seem the type…like me."

"Well, actually I've always known how to do this."

Ed's shoulders slouched and his head tilted downward, "You know this is sad, I've always had trouble with ties." Ed looked at Darien and saw a smile slowly spread across his face. "What you smiling about?"

"You know the difference between you and me? I make this look good," Darien quipped as he put on a pair of dark Ray Ban sunglasses. Ed glared at him, "No way, D." 

Hobbes poked his head in the room and glanced around the room quickly. "Hey, youse two ready or what?" Hobbes walked up to Darien to check his tux, "Can't believe you're doing this, partner? I never thought I'd see the day."

"Yeah, well, I saw what Darcy did to Ed when he refused her, I didn't want her kicking my butt too," Darien said with a smile.

Ed rolled his eyes, "You just had to bring that up?"

Hobbes walked over and patted Ed on his back, "Don't worry, doc, bean pole here got beat up by a chick too. In fact as I recall more than once."

The three men laughed. Hobbes looked at his watch, "Well, fifteen minutes to go. You sure about this?"

"Yeah, I'm sure." Darien said as he fixed the cuff on his shirt. 

"And you?" Hobbes glanced over at Ed who had moved to stand by the window.

"Yeah, I'm sure about this."

"Good, cause it's time to get going." 

"The Best Man beckons," Darien said as he double checked himself in the mirror to make sure everything was buttoned and zipped.

Ed smiled. "Can you give us a minute, Hobbes?"

"Yeah, but don't take too long." Hobbes said as he walked out of the room.

Ed turned to stare out the window and in just a few minutes, he and Claire will say their vows. He can see his friends and family gathering already in their formal wear. Ed and Claire had wanted a Hawaiian themed wedding and Ed was just going to wear white. But it wouldn't look right with Darien and his wedding party in tuxes. So, Ed compromised and went along with wearing a tux rather than forcing Darien and Darcy to change their plans. There was quite a bit of give and take to pull it off, and the amazing thing is, neither of them fought on what they wanted. Ed and Claire were still going to have their Hawaiian themed ceremony and the colorful floral arrangements they were thinking about Darcy loved anyway. It all worked out. 

Ed was gazing at the surf from the window as Darien came up to him, "Well, it's finally here, the day I've been waiting for. And I'm about to marry the most amazing woman I know," he glanced at Darien, "Yeah, even more amazing than Sloan. I kinda have Lewis and the third Lynch clone to thank for this. Weird, I know, but it's true. If they hadn't been after Jared Stark I wouldn't have come down to San Diego."

Darien put his hand on his shoulder. Ed continued as he again looked out the window, "Well, now that I think about it, I have Sloan to thank too. She nagged me about my hair so much I had no choice but to get it cut. And that's when Arnaud confused me with you and he kidnapped me instead. If it hadn't been for these certain events I would have never met Claire." Ed shook his head, "Now look at me, pacing around the room like a nervous wreck. I know I should go down and mingle with the guests before the ceremony, but right now my legs are weak. They are not listening to any commands from my brain to operate properly. Is this what it feels like, true love? Does it become so overwhelming that your body and brain refuse to cooperate?"

"I think so. I feel the same way. Funny how life deals you something that turns your whole life upside down. But yet, it turns out to be the best thing that happened to you."

There's another knock at the door. It opened slowly and they see a head peek in, it's Irene. She stepped into the room and Ed smiled at her, "Wow, mom, you look great! You're glowing. If I didn't know any better I'd say you had a boyfriend that I don't know about." 

"Well, thank you. But it could be that my baby is finally getting married."

Ed walked towards her and she started to cry when she saw him dressed in his tux. She put her hands to his face and pulled him in for a soft kiss on his cheek. She turned and did the same to Darien.

She turned her attention back to Ed and said the most embarrassing thing a man could hear in the company of another man. "It wasn't so long ago when I used to change your diapers…now look at you, all grown up and getting married."

Ed heard a chuckle from Darien's mouth and he turned to glance at him fiercely. Darien gave Ed his best apologetic look. Ed rolled his eyes and turned his attention back to his mom. "Thanks, mom. I really needed to hear that, especially in front of Darien."

Darien came up from behind him and grabbed his arm. "I'm sorry, Ms. Morgan, but the grooms should be downstairs."

Ed smiled at his mom and she smiled back as she held her arm out. Ed took it and escorted her down the stairs to the back of the hotel where quests had already gathered. Ed walked her down the aisle and seated her in the front row. Darien escorted his grandmother down the aisle and seated her as well. The two grooms stood and looked around, it was all still a dream to them. The Montage Resort overlooked the ocean in Laguna Beach. The surf was behind them and would be their backdrop. Palm trees fluttered in the light breeze on a beautiful cloudless day. At the entrance of the aisle of chairs there was an arch decorated with flowers. On the first chair of each row was a bouquet of matching flowers. Off to the side on the groom's side were a set of chairs. Darien and Ed both stood in front of these chairs waiting for the ceremonies to begin. Once the first ceremony was over the newly married couple will sit in these chairs while the next ceremony was in progress. 

Tom came up to the two visibly nervous men and asked them if they were ready. Apparently Claire and Darcy were ready to go. Ed's heart skipped a beat as it started to race. He suddenly felt something cold run down the side of his face. He turned away and wanted to run straight into the water. Tom felt it too and so did Darien. Darien turned, "Aw crap". He put his hand on Ed's shoulder and talked him through his panic attack. Well, not a panic attack per say, but more like the realization that he was about to make the biggest step of his life. His heart calmed and he made it through without the disappearing act. 

The Minister came up to Ed and told him that it was time. He led Ed to the circle of flowers that were laid out on the ground. This was symbolic of the never ending love that marriage represents. For some reason Darien began to hum the song, "Circle of Life". It seems so poignant to him now. Everyone sat down, mostly because Hobbes told them to. Darien and Ed rolled their eyes.

Ed looked away trying to keep his focus on keeping his heart calm. The music and the moment had arrived. He saw Sloan walk underneath the arch and up the aisle. She wore a blue dress. She would be the maid of honor for both Claire and Darcy. Tom stood there in amazement, he couldn't believe how beautiful Sloan looked. She smiled back at Tom and then winked at Ed.

Then Ed saw Claire with her father by her side. She wore a simple but eloquent strapless white dress with a short train. A woven head lei called a haku was made of dendrobium orchids, ferns and baby's breath adorned the top of her head instead of a veil. She carried a matching bouquet in her hands. A huge smile was on her face and Ed could barely move she looked so beautiful. 

Claire's heart pounded when the chanter started his singing and she had to keep telling herself that this was not a dream. She never thought this day would come and for a brief moment of time, it almost didn't. She had thought she lost Ed, only to find him but then she was told how close she came to losing him for good. According to Hobbes, he had about ten minutes left before he went permanent. It was close, too close. 'Don't think about that now,' she mentally slapped herself.

She saw Ed standing next to Tom and couldn't believe how handsome he looked in a tux. She smiled from ear to ear. Her father patted her hand and he whispered in her ear, "I couldn't be more proud of you today. He'll make a fine husband." 

"Thanks, dad." Claire said as she approached Ed. She couldn't help but feel giddy as a school girl. Her father took her hand and placed it into Ed's hand. The two smiled at each other and he walked away to join his wife in the front row next to Irene. Claire and Ed joined hands in the circle of flowers. The Minister leaned down to Claire and Ed, "Ready?"

Claire and Ed answered in unison, "Yes."

"Good, then let's get started." He looked out over the group of family and friends gathered. "Aloha, me ke aloha pumehana hoa pili male ana. A warm welcome to our friends on this occasion of their wedding," the Minister announced. 

The minister had leis draped over his arms. He took one and placed it around Claire's neck. He took the other and did the same to Ed. The lei for Ed was around Claire's neck and it was made from ti leaves and dendrobium orchids. The ti leaves were believed to bring luck and ward of evil spirits. Claire's lei matched Ed's except hers formed a circle where Ed's was more like a garland. He continued with the ceremony.

"We are gathered here to share in the marriage of Edward and Claire. Marriage is the coming together of a man and a woman, two parts of the whole, transcending the illusion of separateness and symbolizing the unity of all humanity. Marriage is a physical representation of a shared dream of unity, coming forth through this union. It is a conscious state of being, where we choose our dream of love which is our right, and extend ourselves to another person, to grow in this love and awareness together. Marriage is a special place as well as a state of being. A place of safety, where you can find your true home, and feel free to be able to express your true feelings, thoughts and emotions to each other. The unity of marriage is the very foundation of family life...and so in forming this union, Edward and Claire are beginning a new family as well as strengthening and perpetuating their historical family."

Ed and Claire smiled at each other. He griped her hand tightly. A single tear rolled down her cheek. It's at this time they're grateful that Eberts is filming the ceremony because neither one is thinking about the Minister, only each other. 

"It is a great transformation for the individual, a courageous act, this coming out...this affirmation... 'Yes, I take this person to be my partner in life, to share all my experiences, to be my teacher, my student, my companion and my friend.' In this world which can be so troubled and which can appear to be so fragile, it is in acts such as marriage that we see the continuing force of human good…the power of love which is truly our guide. Edward and Claire will you please face each other now."

Ed and Claire turned to face each other. Sloan came up and took the bouquet from her hands. 

The Minister continued, "In Hawaii, it is the custom to give the exchange of leis as a symbol of love and sharing. At this time, Edward and Claire will exchange their leis as a symbol of their shared love and the joining of their lives."

Ed and Claire took off their leis. Ed placed the lei on Claire first as he spoke. "Claire, my love, please receive this lei as a symbol of my promise to you: That I will love you always from this day forward, that I will honor you and care for you, now and forever."

Claire placed the lei around Ed's neck as she recited the same words. "Ed, my love, please receive this lei as a symbol of my promise to you: That I will love you always from this day forward, that I will honor you and care for you, now and forever."

Soft cries could be heard from those gathered and even Eberts had to wipe a few tears away. The minister continued. "Let us pray: Dear God, Creator of us all, we thank you for your Loving Presence in our lives. Today we especially thank you for the gifts of love made real among us this day; the beauty of laughter, the tears of joy, the warmth of touch made real in this moment of marriage. We rejoice that Edward and Claire have found in each other a loving companion and friend. That through each other the path of life will always have meaning, even when it is at its steepest. Open our hearts and our senses to the brightness of the love that lives within these two precious souls. Amen."

Ed wanted to lean down and sweep his bride off her feet, but he knew it wasn't time yet. The minister begins to speak.

"A reading: This Is Friendship  
I love you, not only for what you are, but for what I am when I am with you.  
I love you for the part of me that you bring out. 

I love you for putting your hand into my heaped up heart and passing over all the frivolous and weak things you can't help seeing there and drawing out into the Light all the radiant things that no one else has looked quite far enough to find. 

I love you for ignoring the possibilities of the fool in me and laying firm hold of the possibilities of good in me. 

I love you for closing your eyes to the discords in me and adding to the music in me by worshipful listening. 

You are each other's best friend! Edward and Claire, you have shown great faith and trust in your love for each other, by making the commitment to join your lives. You have also shown your love for and faith in God, by making this commitment more than legal, by making it spiritual! 

As individuals, you both have talents and gifts and the expression of these talents and gifts is a demonstration of your love for God and for each other the longer that you are together and the more you develop as individuals, the more you will have to contribute to each other and to your new life together. 

Edward and Claire, the building of a marriage is not unlike the building of a house. If it is to be strong and if it is to fulfill its purpose in your lives, it must be built on a strong foundation. As you speak your vows, you will speak of four things which I believe are the foundation for a strong, creative marriage. 

The first is honesty and trust. Honesty in marriage is more than speaking words which are true. It is thinking thoughts which are true about yourself and about each other. Honesty in marriage means the creating of a safe space where each of you discover and be who you truly are, without pretense or fear. Trust is first of all a choice. We choose to trust and as we do, we find that trust becomes a gift that we receive in return.

As you speak your vows, you are saying in essence, "I trust you to think and speak honesty. I trust you to always be yourself and to allow me to be myself. I trust you and I commit myself to thoughts, words and actions that will keep your trust in me strong." 

The second cornerstone is faith. To be faithful in marriage means more than affectionate fidelity. It means to be there in body, in mind, and in Spirit. It means to be there in loving, open communication. It means to believe in the value of each other as persons and in the value of your marriage, recognizing that your marriage is in itself, an entity that must be nourished and cared for. 

As you speak your vows, you are saying, 'I will be faithful to you. I will give conscious thought and attention to those things which will keep the flame of our love clear and bright.' 

The third element in a vital, fulfilling marriage is joy. Joy is more than surface laughter or happiness. Joy expresses as a positive attitude an attitude that looks for what is good and right. Joy includes a sense of humor and a gracious personality. Joy gives taste and flavor to marriage. It has been said, 'Most people are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.' I invite you both to make up your minds to be joyful, for things from without cannot give you what must come from within. 

When you speak your vows, you are saying, 'I make a commitment to joy! I choose to see those things that will lend grace and light to our lives together.' 

And, at last, we come to the cornerstone of marriage, love. So many have tried to describe it. Certainly, love is more than feelings, though it can express as loving feelings. It is more than thoughtful actions, though it will be expressed as thoughtful actions. It is more than passion, though it will be expressed as passion. Love is the harmonizing gift of God, and as such, it will make your marriage beautiful to behold. Perhaps love is defined as well as it can be in these words from 1st Corinthians: I may speak with the tongues of men or of angels, but if I am without love, I am a sounding gong or a clanging cymbal. I may have the gift of prophecy and know every hidden truth, and if I have all faith to move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing love is patient and love is kind, love is not jealous or boastful, it is not arrogant or rude, love does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrong, but rejoices in the right. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things and endures all things. Love never ends.

Let us pray:  
Precious Spirit, we give thanks, knowing that it is your Love and Light that fills the hearts and minds of Edward and Claire. We accept your Divine Blessing upon this service and upon this marriage now being established. May Edward and Claire always be aware of your endless blessings of Peace, Freedom, and Abundance in their lives. May their hearts and minds and all that concerns them be filled with an awareness of your Love, and may your Presence of Light and Life be there everlasting strengths. For your unending blessings and your Presence of Love in and through our lives, we give thanks. Amen."

The Minister looks out over the crowd, "If there is anyone here who feels this union should not take place speak now or forever hold your peace."

Ed and Claire waited with bated breath. No one answered. They both let out a sigh of relief.

"Very well then, now on to the part we've all been waiting for. Edward, will you take Claire to be your wedded wife, to love, to cherish, to have and to hold, for richer and for poorer, in sickness and health, in sadness and in joy, to share together as long as you both shall live?" 

"I do." Ed's eyes sparkled with the love he has for Claire.

"Claire, will you take Edward to be your wedded husband, to love, to cherish, to have and to hold, for richer and for poorer, in sickness and health, in sadness and in joy, to share together as long as you both shall live?" 

"I do." Claire had started to cry and could barely get the two words out.

He looked at the best man. "May I have the rings please." Tom handed the rings to the Minister. He placed the rings on a small ornately decorated plate with Ed and Claire name on it along with the date of their wedding. In the center of the plate there were two doves with two wedding rings. This plate will be given to Ed and Claire after the ceremony. He began to pray and bless the rings. "May these rings be blessed as the symbol of this loving unity. These two lives are now joined in the one unbroken circle. Wherever they may go, may they always return to one another in their togetherness. May these two find in each other the love for which all men and women yearn. May they grow in understanding and compassion. May the home which they establish together be such a place of sanctuary that many will find there a friend. May these rings on their fingers symbolize the touch of the spirit of love in their hearts." He handed the first ring to Ed.

Ed took Claire's left hand in his and held the ring to place on her finger. "Claire, with this ring, I promise to grow with you, to build our Love, to speak openly and honestly, to listen to you, and to love and cherish you now and forever. From this day forward you shall not walk alone, my heart will be your shelter and my arms will be your home. Ka`u Ia E Lei A`e Nei La, I pledge my love to you alone." He placed the ring on her finger.

The minister handed Claire the ring. She took Ed's left hand in hers and did the same as Ed. "Edward, with this ring, I promise to grow with you, to build our Love, to speak openly and honestly, to listen to you, and to love and cherish you now and forever. From this day forward you shall not walk alone, my heart will be your shelter and my arms will be your home.Ka`u Ia E Lei A`e Nei La, I pledge my love to you alone." She placed the ring on his finger.

The minister continued with the last part of the ceremony. "May you hold the peace of this moment in your minds and hearts, and return to it whenever you need a source of strength and inspiration in your lives." 

He looked over all that are gathered. "Amama, ua Noa, lele Wale akua la. 

Amen, so be it, may all these blessings fly off and manifest. Inasmuch as Edward and Claire have consented together to marriage before this company, have pledged their faith and declared their unity by each giving and receiving a ring, and are now joined in mutual esteem and devotion, I as an ordained minister and with the power vested in me by the State of California, I hereby pronounce you husband and wife!!! 

Aloha Pa Ole, May your love be everlasting!!! You may now kiss your bride!!!" 

Ed and Claire wrapped their arms around each other. They paused for a moment. "Is this real?" Claire asked. 

"Yeah, it's real." Ed leaned down and kissed her. A loud cheer erupted not only from the guests but from all the onlookers staying at the resort. The shell blower blew into the shell again to announce that the wedding is over and that two lives are now one. Once the kiss is over with, Ed moved his thumb over Claire's cheek to brush away the tear that was streaking down her face.

Ed and Claire faced everyone and the minister introduced the new couple. "Ladies and gentlemen, it is with great honor that I now present to you, Mr. and Mrs. Edward Tate."

Everyone stood up and started to clap. With all that they had been through this wedding nearly didn't happen. They turned and faced each other again and Ed scooped up Claire into his arms. Irene started to cry and for the first time in years, she allowed Jonathan to hold her. Tom and Darien came up to them and congratulated them. Hobbes and Tara kissed and then hugged.

"Okay, now you two, it's Darien and Darcy's turn." Tom announced.

Ed and Claire went to go sit down where Darien had been waiting his turn. They would all walk down the aisle together as couples. 

Once everyone is seated again, the music started and Darcy is escorted down the aisle by her father, Jacob. Her gown was made of satin with a lace-up back and beaded spaghetti straps. The bodice and skirt insets were adorned with beaded embroidery. Darien couldn't believe how beautiful she looked. Her naturally light brown hair was pulled up on top of her head and a very simple veil covered her face. Jacob remained next to Darcy as Tom began the ceremony. 

"We are gathered today to witness Darien and Darcy commit their lives together. This ceremony is but an outward sign of an inward union of heart and mind. This is a ceremony of the joining of two people already attuned to each other. When such a true bond already exists between a man and a woman, it is fitting that an outer acknowledgment be made." Tom turned to Jacob. "Who gives this woman to be bonded to this man?"

Jacob replied, "Her mother and I do." He lifted Darcy's veil and kissed her. He turned to Darien and shook his hand. He then gave Darcy's hand to Darien. Jacob turned and sat down with his wife. Darien and Darcy step up to Tom. It is their turn to stand in the circle of flowers.

Tom smiled at the couple and continued with the ceremony. "Darien and Darcy, it is this day you take a giant step of courage and commitment to be bonded. When a commitment this strong is made by two people, the force of that bonding reaches out and touches all of us around you, so that our lives are changed and we share a part of your love. Like a stone dropped in a still pond, the ripples of the bonding from this ceremony extend and change the world we live in.

You are now taking into your care and keeping the happiness of the one person in all the world whom you love best. You are adding to your life not only the affection of each other, but also the companionship and blessing of a deep trust as well. You are agreeing to share strength, responsibilities and to share love.

In our short history we have never discovered a better way of life than binding it together in a lasting way. This arrangement is a part of our deepest need for survival, to be with someone whom we can be bonded to for life. But from our human ancestors we have learned that real love, Darien and Darcy, is something beyond the warmth and glow, the excitement and romance of being deeply in love. It truly is caring as much about the welfare and happiness of your life partner as it is about your own. Real love is not total absorption into each other, it is looking outward in the same direction together. Love makes burdens lighter because you divide them. It makes joys more intense because you share them. It makes you stronger, so you can be involved with life in ways you dare not risk alone.

Love is the greatest gift that we can offer to one another. That is what makes a bonding so very special, and a cause for joy and celebration for all of us who have come here today to share in this event. It is my personal hope that those of you who have already taken the vows of marriage will witness the love of these two people, and as you listen to them share their vows, perhaps it will strengthen the memory of your own happy day, and remind you of the meaning of the vows you yourselves once took. Perhaps it will even strengthen just a little bit the bond of love that has been growing between you, and if any of this should happen, it would certainly be the greatest gift that Darien and Darcy could offer all of us on their wedding day." Tom looked out over the gathering, "If there is someone here who feels this bonding should not take place, please speak now. If not, may you remain silent forever." 

Satisfied that no one was going to protest, Tom continued, "Darien and Darcy, please face each other and take each other's hands." Sloan took the flowers from Darcy. Darien took her hands into his.

"Darien, do you take this woman to be your bonded wife? Do you promise before this company that you will love her, honor her, comfort and keep her in sickness and in health and that forsaking all others for her alone will you perform unto her all of the duties and respect that a bonded husband graciously bestows upon his bonded wife?

Darien looked deeply into her eyes, "I do."

"Darcy, do you take this man to be your bonded husband? Do you promise before this company that you will love him, honor him, comfort and keep him in sickness and in health and that forsaking all others for him alone will you perform unto him all of the duties and respect that a wife graciously bestows upon her bonded husband?"

"I do." 

"Darien, please acknowledge your commitment to Darcy." 

Darien let out a cleansing sigh. "I, Darien take you Darcy to be my bonded wife. I will cherish our friendship and bind myself to you today, tomorrow and forever. I will trust you and honor you. I will love you faithfully through the best and the worst. What may come I will always be there. If I doubt, I will remember this time and why we came together this day. As I have given you my hands to hold so I give you my life to keep."

"Darcy, please acknowledge your commitment to Darien."

"I, Darcy, take you Darien to be my bonded husband. I will cherish our friendship and bind myself to you today, tomorrow and forever. I will trust you and honor you. I will love you faithfully through the best and the worst. What may come I will always be there. If I doubt, I will remember this time and why we came together this day. As I have given you my hands to hold so I give you my life to keep."

"May I have the rings, please?" Hobbes handed Tom the rings and he placed them on a cloth embroidered with the stars on them. The designs were similar to those found on the pillar.

"Darien and Darcy, as these rings are designed without an ending; they also speak of a bond forged without weakness. May the incorruptible substance of these rings represent a commitment glowing with increasing luster through the years. These rings, which you give to each other are the sign of your eternal bond and honor. May their inscription always be a reminder of the commitment you make today."

"Darien, take Darcy's ring, and as you place it on her finger acknowledge your commitment." 

Darien took her left hand in his. "Darcy, my love: With this ring, I bind myself to you, and say to the world, this is my wife, whom I cherish above all others." Darien slipped the ring on Darcy's finger. 

"Darcy, take Darien's ring, and as you place it on his finger acknowledge your commitment."

She took Darien's left hand in hers. "Darien, my love: With this ring, I bind myself to you, and say to the world, this is my husband, whom I cherish above all others." Darcy slipped the ring on Darien's finger.

They both smiled at each other and Darien let out a gasp. Tom smiled, patted Darien on his back and then continued, "They came before you, pledging their lives and their hearts to one another. Grant that they may live together in such a way as to never bring division into their bonding. Temper their emotions with kindness and help them to be bonded mates, and together, may they meet the cares and problems of life more bravely. Let them remember the value of each other as individuals, and never take each other for granted. And as time takes away their youthful charm, may they find contentment in their companionship. May their home be a place of harmony with one another. May their commitment continue through life and finally blend into the life eternal." Tom glanced at Darien and Darcy, "Now that you have been bonded to one another, may you strive always to meet this commitment with the same honor you now exhibit. We all bear witness to this ceremony you have just performed, and you are now husband and wife. Darien, you may kiss your bride."

Darien and Darcy kiss as the group again erupted into cheers. Ed and Claire stood up and applauded. Darien and Darcy have gone through life changing experiences themselves and this was just a testament to their love.

Tom had Darien and Darcy face the small gathering as he announced, "Fellow citizens of the earth, it is my pleasure as a Chosen leader of my people to present to you, Mr. and Mrs. Darien Fawkes!" 

TBC…


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

One month later.

Ed sauntered down the quiet hall to the Keep. He slid his card in and waited for the door to open. He walked in and spotted Claire checking on a beaker full of blue liquid, "Hey, Keep, what's up?" He asked with a smirk. He definitely enjoyed having Claire as his Keeper. The Official had let his tight spending habits kick into gear and decided to save money by having Claire as his permanent Keeper. Not to mention with what had happened with his last Keeper, Walter had refused to let anyone else come onto the project. Walter had also successfully argued the point that there was no reason why Ed couldn't help Claire with her research.

Claire looked up and smiled, "Hi, hon, I'm making progress on that oral counteragent for you." 

Ed tilted his head to one side and raised a brow, "Great, with all the needles I've had in the past couple of months I look like a junkie…and feel like one too." Ed strolled over to her with his hands in his pockets. She met him and they embraced. "So, what does it taste like?" Ed said as he broke the hug and picked up the beaker, his first instinct was to smell it and he did. His nose crinkled up a bit at the odor of it, "Man, I hope it tastes better than it smells."

Claire took the beaker out of his hands and put back on the table, "I'm still working on it and besides, it'll be in pill form remember?"

Ed bent down and rested his elbows on the table as he continued to stare at the blue liquid, "So, you think this will work?"

"Yeah, I was working on something similar for Darien…until he broke it," she said with a hint of warning in her voice.

Ed smiled, "Don't worry, I won't break it. It sort of looks like blue Gatorade."

"Darien said it reminded him of Kool-Aid," Claire took a drop to test it. She held up a sample of how big the pill will be.

Ed gawked at the size of the pill. "Damn, Claire, it's bigger than the prenatal pills Darcy is taking!"

"It still has to be strong enough to counter the toxin in your bloodstream. Think of it this way, it's either oral or a suppository…your choice."

"Oral," Ed said immediately. Claire smiled and a soft chuckle escaped her lips. "What's so funny?" Ed asked.

"I just had a picture of us holding you down trying to give you counteragent in the form of a suppository while you're quicksilver mad…quite funny actually."

"I don't think that's funny." Ed sat down.

She knew there was something wrong with Ed just by the way he reacted to her joke. Normally he would have joked around, but the way his body language was talking, something was on his mind. "Hon, are you okay? You seem a little tense today." Claire asked as she put her hand on his shoulder. 

He played with the buttons on his lab coat. "Yeah…well, I'm just in one of those moods, kinda edgy."

"I'm sorry, are you having a bad day?"

"Nah," he answered solemnly.

"Male PMS then I take it?"

"You might say that…actually..." Ed stood up and took Claire into his arms, "It's all I can do to keep myself from eating right through your clothes right now."

Claire smiled, "Ah, I see, you're in heat?"

Ed looked around slightly embarrassed, "That's an understatement. I've been practically half-hard all day long. I just don't know how long I can take this. You know, most married couples don't have a sex schedule. It's sorta taking the fun out of it you know?" His tone was a mixture of bitterness and despair.

"I'm sorry, hon, but you know you have to be careful with how much counteragent you get. Even with Darien there were times when I had to wait until the last minute because I didn't want to overdose his system. Not to mention the cost." She ran her hand down his shoulder to his hand, "But since you're here, I need to draw some blood so I can run some tests with the oral counteragent."

"Again?" Ed said dishearten.

"Yes, again! You want to be able to use this new counteragent don't you?" Claire was stern in her tone as she put her hands on her hips and cocked her head to one side.

Ed put his hand up and crinkled his face in disgust, "Yeah, I know, I know. But I'm going insane here. If only a shower and a bar of soap were allowed…I wouldn't be so damn…" He turned away to hide his embarrassment, "…horny," he finished awkwardly. 

"Look, this is hard on me too," Claire protested. 

Ed smirked, "Not as hard as it is on me." Ed let out a sigh. "I really hate this gland." He glanced at Claire and met her stern glare, he looked down at the floor defeated, "Oh-kay…lab rat at your service. Do with me what you will." He held his hands out in a manner like he was about to be handcuffed.

"Don't be so dramatic. I just have to draw blood. You make it sound like I'm torturing you." Claire turned to walk over to her mayo table.

"Torture? You have no idea," Ed said under his breath as he took his lab coat off and sat down on the counteragent chair. Just the mere thought of having Claire so close to him drawing his blood was making his blood rush to another part of his body. He shook his head, 'I really need to find a way to cure quicksilver madness or get this gland out of my head before my balls spontaneously combust.' He searched the counter near the chair and found one of Claire's journals. He reached for it and flipped through it as Claire was getting her supplies ready. An article immediately caught Ed's eye. He read the article as Claire drew blood from his arm.

"What has got your mind all wrapped up so quickly?"

"Huh? Oh, this article about a study done at a Scottish fertility clinic. It seems that over a period of time they've noticed a drop in the sperm count of men coming in. They surveyed 7,500 men and found that on average their sperm count has dropped by 29 percent." Ed glanced up at Claire with a worried expression on his face.

"What can cause such a drop in so many men? Are they all in one area?"

"Yeah, Aberdeen in Northern Scotland."

Claire put her hands on her hips. "I know that Scotland was affected by the Chernobyl disaster."

"Yeah, but the effects would have been wide spread over the entire population, and not just the reproductive organs of men. No, this is much more than that." Ed thought for a moment and then continued, "Drugs, drinking, smoking, alcohol, obesity, pesticides, other chemicals all could have an effect on low sperm counts and it would take years for any effects to show. But this is just too many males in one area to link it to anything specific."

"You think it might be dominants?"

"Yeah, I do. I mean, think about it, we know that when they impregnate a human woman the child will be a dominant. This would be another area to attack us in…male infertility. If human males are sterile…"

"Then only dominant males can impregnate women." Claire was alarmed and it was evident in her voice.

"Another way to wipe us out…make sure human males are sterile and use human women to build up their population." Ed got up and grabbed his lab coat along with the magazine, "I need to show this to Walter. I'll see ya later, babe." Ed kissed her lovingly on her lips. He watched as one emotion after another washed over Claire's face. He held her close, "It'll be okay, babe. It may be nothing, and if it is, we'll figure this out."

"I hope so, before it's too late." She gave Ed a gentle squeeze.

~*~

Ed was in Walter's office going over the article. Sloan and Tom were there also. "This looks bad for us, if this is dominant related," Sloan stated with concern in her voice. It had been a long time since they discovered a plan of attack and it was all because of a medical journal. 

"Okay, Ed, say your theory is correct. How are they targeting the male population?" Walter asked.

Ed sat on the short file cabinet in the corner of Walter's office. "I don't know, but I'm thinking that it would have to be more widespread then using juice boxes. It would have to be something that would affect most if not all the men in the area."

Like what?" Walter asked folding his hands on top of his desk.

Ed thought for a moment and then it came to him, "Water. Maybe it has something to do with the water supply. It appears to be this one city and it would have to be contained to get the best test results."

"But it would take years for something like this to happen," Sloan added.

"Yeah, but for all we know, dominants started this test years before they even thought of the juice boxes, which brings up another point. This data is based on the males that went to the fertility clinic. This doesn't include the men who don't know they might have a fertility problem or the young boys that have started or about to enter puberty," Ed added.

Sloan covered her mouth, "Oh my God. This could be worse than we think."

"They would have to have dominants at the fertility clinic to monitor the progress or the director of the clinic is involved, like Principle Cook," Tom added. "If we're going to find out, we're going to have to be extra careful on this."

"Agreed." Walter stated.

Walter leaned back and glanced at Ed, "Do you think you can figure it out for sure if this is dominant related?"

"I'll do my best," Ed said. Walter picked up his phone.

"How is the sperm count effected, Ed?" Sloan asked.

"Sloan, do I really have to explain it?"

Sloan blushed, "Testosterone…they're attacking the testosterone."

Ed nodded, "That's my first guess. If the testosterone levels are low then the testes won't produce sperm or at least strong healthy ones to fertilize an egg."

"Clever way to attack our men." She glanced at Ed and caught his worry expression. "If I know anybody who can figure this out and find a way to stop them it's you."

"I hope so."

"Could it be the nanites again?" Tom asked.

"I have no idea, but I doubt it. This might be more of a chemical reaction. I imagine that the dominants would try to use different means of wiping us out."

"Could the process be reversed?" Tom asked.

"Testosterone can be replaced in many ways. But I'm sure that the dominants knew this and whatever they came up with had that in mind. We may be looking at permanent damage that's irreversible," Ed stated. A million and one things were racing through his mind at the moment. He was already involved with one government research, now it looked like he had another one coming his way. "I can ask a friend of mine, he might know a reproductive endocrinologist."

Sloan looked sharply at Ed, "Just make sure he's human or at least on our side."

Ed smiled and snorted, "Yeah, I hear ya, Sloan."

~*~

Claire found Ed sitting at his desk after his meeting with Walter. He looked downcast as he stared out the window. She sighed sadly. She approached him and he didn't even realize someone was there until she tapped on the door frame. He turned sharply at the sound. "Oh…hi, Claire." 

"Need to talk?" She asked as she walked into his office and knelt down in front of him.

"I've got so many things running through my mind that I can't even think straight." He pulled her up and set her down on his lap. "What if all this is true? What else have they been working on that we don't even know about? What will our future hold?"

"Hmmm…I see what you mean. Your mind is going a mile a minute. But, hon, you can't put the weight of the world on your shoulders." Claire traced the side of his face with a gentle hand.

"Someone has to." 

"You're not Superman."

"It's not about being a hero…it's about survival." He let out a long cleansing sigh. "If what's happening in Aberdeen is the work of the dominants whose to say that they haven't been doing this experiment somewhere else?" He leaned towards her and rested his head on her bosom. 

"Well, we know that you haven't been affected," Claire said seriously but with a hint of humor in her voice.

Ed remembered that day in the lab when she and Sloan had compared Darien and Ed's semen samples. The memory seemed like ages ago. Ed chuckled embarrassed, "You had to remind me of that." She raked her fingers through his soft brown hair. A sigh of contentment escaped his lips, "That feels nice."

"Ed…"

"I know, I know…but this is comforting." Claire smiled and rested her chin on top of his head. She could smell the fragrance of his shampoo and she closed her eyes. Her mind took her back to the day when she moved in with him. She walked into the bathroom and saw the collection of shampoos, conditioners, hair treatments and even skin moisturizers in the room. She shook her head as she laughed. There were very few men that she knew that had more than a bar of soap, a bottle of shampoo and stick of deodorant in their bathroom. Being a surfer, Ed knew the importance of taking care of his skin. 

A hard rap on the door frame shook her from her memory. They both looked up. "I'm sorry if I'm interrupting something. Tate, you're wanted in the Fat Man's office." Hobbes winked at the two of them. "Doin' a little extracurricular examination there Keepie?"

Claire got up followed by Ed, "No, Bobby," she said irritated. Ed followed Claire out of his office past Hobbes. He glanced down at Hobbes and before he could ask what the Official needed him for, he felt a nudge to his midsection. 

"Still on the Honeymoon, huh?"

"I wish." Ed replied in a downcast tone. 

A few moments later they were all in the official's office including Darien and Walter. Hobbes looked around and turned his attention towards the Official, "All accounted for, Chief."

"Thank you, Bobby. Let's get down to it, Dr. Tate you're going to Scotland."

Ed looked around sharply as he exclaimed, "WHAT!?!"

"I'm sorry, Ed, but we can't risk having any samples flown here. I think it'll be best if you go to the source. Now I've made arrangements for Agent Hobbes to accompany you…"

Hobbes looked up sharply, "WHAT?"

"Hobbes!?!" Ed exclaimed. "Why him?" Ed turned and looked at Hobbes, "No offense," he turned his attention back to Walter, "Why not Claire or Sloan? I might need some help with this."

"You and Dr. Keeply are the only physicians this agency has; I can't risk having the both of you out of the country." The Official stated leaning back on his chair.

Ed got up, walked over to the Official and leaned on the desk glaring down at him, "I see, when it matters to you, I'm valuable. But you made it damn clear that you didn't want me doing any kind of research on the gland and you had no problem wanting the gland ripped out of my head," Ed caught the glare from the Official and turned his rage on Walter, "Oh wait, that was you wasn't it?"

"Ed, I didn't want that and you know it. I was under orders." 

Ed straightened to his full height, "Yeah, that's right, you had orders…from your boss."

"Ed…please, I had warned Claire and the others…" Walter was interrupted abruptly.

Ed's face was nearly red now, "You just don't know when to quit do you? When will you stop trying to manipulate me?"

"I'm not manipulating you. I've always considered you a valuable member of the team, that's why I denied you…" Walter stopped. 

Ed looked at Walter sharply, "What? Denied me? What are you talking about?"

Hobbes leaned over to Darien and whispered, "Do you know what's going on?"

"Shh…" Darien responded quickly. 

Walter took a deep breath, "The QS9300 Project."

"The QS9300 Project…Walter, what are you trying to tell me?"

"You wanted to know why I was at the lab. I was there because I was helping to find a geneticist for the invisible man project. I was looking at you, Ed."

"Me? I'm a bio-anthropologist, not a geneticist."

"You are a brilliant geneticist, Ed. Your immunology background at NIAD was also valuable and the fact that you're an M.D. was a plus as well. I had recommended you and you were accepted."

Ed looked at Darien, "You knew?"

"Yeah, I did, but it wasn't my place to tell you. Besides it's all mute now. Had you gone you would have been murdered."

Ed shook his head and turned his attention to Walter again, "What other secrets are you keeping from me?"

"None. And like Darien said, it's all mute. When Ann Coulter was murdered I needed you on my team and I rescinded my recommendation."

"That's not the point, Walter. You lied to me, to Sloan…all these years. You kept us out of the loop for so long…" Ed paused, "I need to know that I can trust you."

"You can, Ed. I promise."

Ed nodded, "I'll be the judge of that."

Walter glanced at the Official and continued, "Look, Ed, with the information that Tom, Hobbes and Darien got, they are close to finding this serial killer. We believe that Tom and Darien can handle this together and are best for the job. Hobbes is a seasoned agent who can take care of…"

"The gland?" Ed said to finish Walter's sentence.

"Welcome to my world, bro." Darien quipped.

"Ed, you know…"

"C'mon, Walter," Ed paused and gave in to the situation. It was no use to fight Walter or the Official on this. Actually he knew that they were right. He let out a sigh, "When do we leave?"

"Tomorrow morning," the Official stated.

"Crap, there goes our poker night," Darien hissed under his breath.

"Yeah, I was looking forward to getting my revenge on brainiac for last week." Hobbes retorted as he leaned closer to Darien. The guys had started to meet once a week for poker night after their trip to the casino. They would sit around a large round table at Ed's house, smoke cigars, drink beer and eat pizza as they played. Even Tom, Mark and Shane had joined them in the weekly male bonding ritual. And in return, the ladies had their night out.

Ed rolled his eyes as he spoke in a sarcastic tone, "Geesh, Walter, you're not one for giving a lot of notice are you?"

"I decided that it was best for you to go as soon as possible. You and Hobbes will be taking the jet…"

"Nice," Hobbes said as he wiggled on his seat raising a hand. "Ah…one question."

"Yes, Hobbes." Walter said as he held folders in his hand.

"Will there be a flight attendant on the flight?" 

Darien stared at Hobbes in amazement. He saw the look on Darien's face, "What?"

"You just did not ask that did you?"

"Yeah, I think it's a legit question. It's a long flight, Fawkes."

"No, there is no flight attendant, Hobbes. You'll be making a refueling stop at JFK Airport in New York and then from there you'll go on to Aberdeen. There will be somebody there to drive you to the hotel and then to the fertility clinic in question." Walter said as he handed Hobbes and Ed a folder detailing their mission and all the contact information.

"You're going to be meeting with Dr. Ian MacKay, he runs the fertility clinic. He's expecting the both of you and has offered complete cooperation in our investigation. In fact, he welcomes it."

Ed looked at him in surprise, "Really?"

"Does that surprise you?" The Official interjected.

"Well, in a way, some places don't want outside help especially foreign help. They usually have all the specialists they need to find the answers."

"They're well aware of the situation and the work our lab has done concerning the new species. They want answers too, Ed," Walter interjected. 

"Yeah, well, that maybe true Walter, but I don't trust too many people named Ian. Did it ever occur to you that they might know we're on to them now and you could be sending us into a trap?"

"Yes, and that's why we're sending Hobbes with you."

Ed turned a worried glance at Darien and then at Hobbes. Walter continued to talk, "Look, Ed, I know you're concerned, but you're the best person for this job. Sloan doesn't have the medical background that you do. I need you on this one."

"Ed, I know that Hobbes can get on your nerves at times, but I also know that when your back is up against the wall, he's your man," Darien stated supportively. 

"Why, thank you, Fawkes."

"You're welcome." The two gave each other a low five.

Ed let out a long deep sigh. "Well, then I guess I better tell Claire to whip up a couple batches of counteragent…" he started to turn to head out of the office. The Official was about to protest, but Ed cut him off, "…like Hobbes once said, I'm not a trained agent so I might get myself in a situation where I'll need to use *the gland*." Ed turned and gave the Official a menacing glare, "I'm sure you wouldn't want me going quicksilver mad in Scotland now don't you?" Ed left the office slamming the door behind him.

Darien stood up, "He's right you know. By alerting them you've just set him up. That gland could get him and maybe even Hobbes out of trouble."

"You know how I feel about…" The Official was cut off in mid sentence by Darien.

"Cut the crap, Charlie."

"Charlie?" The Official looked at Darien like he just committed a grave sin. 

"Yeah, Charlie…don't use him like you used me. Don't send him across the ocean without enough counteragent. Let him do his job…with what ever he needs, no matter what the cost."

"Darien's right. The cost to make extra counteragent is covered." Walter stated sternly, "He is on *my* team."

Darien glared at him, "Then maybe you should start acting like it. I swear the both of you went to the same school on how to use people." Darien walked out of the office with Hobbes following right behind him, "I'll go home and pack…" 

Darien pulled Hobbes out the office and the glass door closed behind them. Walter let out a sigh. This meeting didn't go as he planned. 

"You do realize that every time Dr. Tate needs counteragent it costs three thousand dollars."

He turned sharply and shot an angry glance at the Official. "Let me tell you something, Charlie. When the dominants do wipe us out, no one is going to care. I want Ed to do his job no matter what the cost is because frankly, our survival depends on it. It's time you understand what's at stake here. Our existence as a species is on the line and tomorrow or the next day could be the last this planet sees of homo-sapiens. The only thing standing between the dominants and our extinction is this group. I'm sure even to you that's worth spending an extra three thousand dollars on." Walter walked out of the Official's office in a huff.

~*~

Lewis stormed into the room as Tabitha worked out. She stopped when she picked up on his emotional state. "What's wrong?"

"It's Tate, looks like he figured it out." His body language gave his anger away as he paced back and forth. Confused, she put down the weights and walked towards him, "Figured what out?"

"The Aberdeen Project. He read an article about the low sperm count in men in a medical journal." Lewis rubbed his forehead with his hand. 

"How?"

"That's what I'm wondering. There must be someone on the inside that leaked the test results to someone on the outside. He promised that he would keep a lid on it. After the Orange Groove debacle, you think they would have learned."

"Co-existance?"

"Maybe. All I know is that someone was careless." He rubbed the side of her face with hand, "I don't forgive carelessness."

"What do we do now?" Tabitha stated as she looked at Lewis.

He glanced at her pausing for a moment. It was time to change plans. "It seems that your meeting with Darien Fawkes will happen sooner than I anticipated. Come, my dear, we have work to do." 

TBC…


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Aberdeen, Scotland.

Ed and Hobbes walked down the stairs from the airplane to the waiting car. Ed had on his brown trench coat and scarf. He obviously did not like the cold weather that greeted him. His hands were stuffed in his pockets and his body shivered in the cold air. Hobbes chuckled, "What's the matter beach boy, can't take the weather here?"

Ed shot him an irritated look, "I'm freezing my toboggans off." Ed rushed down the stairs to the car.

"Well, if you had more meat on you, you wouldn't be so cold." Hobbes followed Ed down the stairs to the waiting car and hopped in beside him. They were amazed at the scenery as they drove by and had wished that their stay would be longer. Walter had told them that this trip was strictly a mission and that meant no sight seeing, which also meant the Whiskey trail tour was not on the to-do list. Ed was ordered to get the samples and as much information he needed then come back as soon as possible. 

Once inside the clinic they went to the front desk. "Can I help you, gentlemen," the lady behind the desk asked in a thick Scottish accent. The receptionist eyed Ed deeply. She was obviously attracted to the tall lanky man standing in front of her and it showed. Right away she knew that he wasn't from Scotland and neither was the man that came in with him. Ed was completely oblivious to how attentive the young lady was to him as he and Hobbes took out their badges. The lady looked at them. "I'm Dr. Ed Tate and this is Agent Robert Hobbes, we're from America, we're supposed to meet with Dr. MacKay."

"Ah, yes, the two Americans, he's been expecting you." She pushed the intercom button, "Dr. Mackay?"

"Yes, Terri."

"Dr. Ed Tate and Agent…?"

"Hobbes, Robert Hobbes." Hobbes answered confidently as he leaned down towards the brunette. Ed raised a brow and smirked as he turned away to hide his face.

Terri smiled. "…Agent Robert Hobbes from America are here."

"Wonderful, show them in please."

"Follow me please," the receptionist stood up and motioned for the two men to follow her. She noticed a ring on the cute doctor's finger and frowned. 'The cute ones are either taken or gay,' she said to herself. Hoping her disappointment didn't show on her face, she asked, "How was your trip?"

"It was fine, no problems, just tired from the time difference," Ed replied. He heard a slight chuckle from Hobbes and turned quickly to look at him. Hobbes feigned coughing when he noticed Ed looking at him, "I'm sorry, guess I got something caught in my throat." Ed glanced at him suspiciously not knowing exactly why Hobbes was chuckling and then pretended to cough. 

"Agent Hobbes is it?" The receptionist asked.

"Uh…yeah, that's right."

"Can I get you something to drink, perhaps some tea?" She asked looking at Ed hopeful. 

Ed glanced down at the floor for a moment as he paused. "Yeah, tea would be great."

Hobbes coughed even louder. Ed patted him on the back, "You okay, Hobbes?"

Hobbes hid the smirk on his face. "Yeah, I will be," he said in jest. The receptionist led them the rest of the way down the hall and she stopped at a door to knock. She opened it up and ushered the two men inside. Dr. MacKay stood up from his chair and came around his desk to greet his overseas visitors. He held his hand out as he introduced himself, "I'm Dr. MacKay."

Ed shook his hand first, "I'm Dr. Ed Tate."

"Delighted."

Hobbes shook the hand of the tall Scottish doctor next, "And I'm Agent Robert Hobbes."

"Gentlemen, please have a seat and is there anything we can get for you?" Dr. MacKay sat down behind his desk.

Ed leaned forward in his seat and looked at Terri still standing at the entrance. "Well, ah…your receptionist offered us some tea."

"Good, Terri, see to that please."

"Yes, doctor." Terri smiled at Ed and closed the door behind her.

"Dr. Walter Attwood and I spoke on the phone about the situation here in Aberdeen, what can I do to help?"

Hobbes looked at Ed. This was the tall scientist's department; he was basically along for the ride. Ed leaned forward again. "Well, what I need to see are the semen samples so I can run some tests and if it's okay, I'll need to look over the patients' medical history."

"All that can be arranged."

"Tell me, Dr. MacKay…"

"Call me Ian, please."

Ed smiled, "Okay, Ian…has there been a rise in women being affected by infertility like the men?"

"No, not at all."

Ed and Hobbes glanced at each other. "Why do you ask?" Ian asked. "Oh, just curious," Ed answered.

Lewis sat his desk working on his laptop when he sensed someone coming. He stopped and leaned back in his chair, a smile slowly crept across his face. He looked up and watched Karl Hunter stepped inside the room. "Nice to see you, Karl. What news do you have for me?"

Karl placed a folder on his desk as she spoke, "Here is the monthly report you requested. I'm sure you'll find things going as planned."

"Well, at least one thing is going well," Lewis stated mockingly as he opened the folder. Karl was surprised at the comment and the tone is Lewis' voice. "Don't be so surprised, Karl. We are dealing with clever humans."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Karl added not sure if Lewis' comment was directed towards his mission or to something else.

Lewis didn't look up, he continued to read the report, "That's okay, Karl, it's my concern anyway, not yours. You just keep doing the job that you were assigned to do."

"Yes, sir," Karl answered in a military tone.

"Tell me one thing, have you studied the history of this…facility?" Lewis looked up at Karl.

"Yes, I have and we've taken all the escape attempts into consideration in the new plans. We've even interviewed some of the inmates. They have been very valuable in our preparation." Karl stated sternly as he stood with his hands behind his back.

"Very good, Karl. I'm glad to see that you're taking the necessary steps to ensure the success of this mission. Please, don't let anyone find out about your new…updates to the facility."

"Don't worry, sir. What they don't see, they don't know."

"Worry is part of my job, Karl. I expect another report in one month." Lewis went back to reading and smiled as he nodded. Karl half smiled back as he could only assume Lewis accepted what he read so far. Karl turned and left the room leaving Lewis by himself.

Hobbes walked into the lab at the clinic where Ed was doing his research with some coffee. "Here, thought you'd need this," Hobbes said as he put down one of the cups. "Thanks," Ed responded lifting his eyes from the microscope.

"So, ah…anything there strikes you as odd?" Hobbes sat down on a stool next to Ed.

"Yeah, take a look for yourself," Ed removed the slide he had and replaced it with a different one. Hobbes peered into the scope. "Okay, so I see a bunch of 'swimmers'. What am I supposed to be looking at?"

"Those are healthy sperm," Ed removed the slide and replaced it with a second slide, "Now, look at this one."

"Whoa…they're not moving very well." Hobbes looked at Ed, "The tails are different, shorter."

"Give that man a doctorate. Here's another one."

Hobbes looked again and slowly raised his head, "They don't look right."

"Yeah, I'm finding that most of these samples are different. The sperm are affected in one way or another."

"Why's that?"

"It's actually brilliant, Hobbes. If all the patients were affected the same way…"

"Then this area would bring attention to itself more than it already has…this would keep scientists guessing and away from the real cause."

"Exactly. Now the question is what is affecting the men here?"

"Where did you get these samples?"

"Oh, these are from some of the patients that came in today and have been under treatment. Here take a look at this one." Ed replaced the slide. Hobbes took another look, "I don't see nothin'."

"That's because this patient is completely sterile, he's not producing sperm at all and according to his records, the epididymis or the vas deferens are not blocked."

"Wha…what are those?"

"The tubules that transport the sperm from the testicle…"

Hobbes put his hands up, "Okay, okay, I get the picture."

"Now, the kicker is, he came in the early nineties to receive treatment. He wasn't sterile then, but he is now. Other then a possible lack of testosterone, he's completely healthy and doesn't smoke or drink heavily."

"So all these samples came from four different men in this area?"

Ed blushed slightly, "Well, not exactly. The first sample I showed you was from someone not around here."

"How'd you manage that?" Hobbes noticed that Ed's face had suddenly started to blush. "Oh…you mean these are…" Hobbes pointed the slide marked 'Healthy'.

"Well, what was I supposed to do? I needed a healthy sample to be a comparison and I wanted a sample that I know wouldn't be tampered with in anyway. This isn't exactly my field you know."

"Boy, doc, you really get into your science projects in more ways than one." Hobbes slapped Ed on his back, "Well, at least you don't shoot blanks." Hobbes formed a gun with his hand and acted as if he was shooting with it. He shot Ed a sly wink. Ed partly smiled, "No, that I don't do. Looks like San Diego is not on their hit list. Yet."

Hobbes put the cup up to his mouth and before taking a sip he retorted, "You da man!"

Ed leaned back on the stood and was about to drink from the cup when he looked at it suspiciously. He then turned his attention to Hobbes. "I wonder…back at the agency I had mentioned that maybe whatever was affecting the men might be in the water supply."

Hobbes spit out his coffee, "Great! Now you tell me!"

"Sorry, but don't worry, I doubt this happens over night. It has to be over a prolonged period of exposure. Again, they wouldn't want to draw attention too quickly, like the nanites in the kids back in Orange Grove." Ed looked at Hobbes in deep thought.

"What?"

"Huh…oh…I was ah…thinking." Ed paused again trying to put his thoughts in order.

Hobbes waited for him to continue but he didn't. Ed sat in silence again and Hobbes became somewhat impatient. "And?"

"And what?"

Hobbes rolled his eyes, "You gonna tell me what's goin' through that 'Double D' mind of yours or are you gonna just sit there?"

"I was just thinking back to the juice boxes in Orange Grove. We might be looking at the same thing here but on a grander scale." Ed swiveled on the seat and started to type into his laptop. "On the flight over here I looked up the zoning layout for the North of Scotland Water Authority…" Ed waited for the map to appear on the screen, "Okay, this is it, as you can see there are several zones. If it is in the water we'll need to narrow down to which plant…then again it could be all of them, but somehow I doubt it."

"Too many hands in the pot spoil the brew," Hobbes commented.

"Exactly. The information about the sudden rise in infertility was not supposed to leak out…like the elementary school in Orange Grove." Ed scratched his head as he thought of a way to narrow down which plant they need to target.

"What about putting in the addresses of the patients? If it's contained in one area, that should give us an idea of where to start looking."

Ed looked up at Hobbes. "You're smart…" Ed started to type on the keyboard as he spoke, "…you are smart…" Ed had been given access to the clinics records earlier and he started to map out all the addresses. "Okay, the water zones are in blue, the addresses of the affected men should appear in red. This may take a few moments. I just hope no one notices what I'm doing." Glancing around the room quickly and seeing that no one was actually watching him, he minimized the screen.

"Well, then I suggest we look busy doing something else," Hobbes retorted as he looked around trying to figure out how he could look busy.

"Get me a water sample from the fountain," Ed said tossing a sterile cup to Hobbes.

"That'll work," Hobbes left the room and Ed continued to do his testing as the program started to map out the infected area.

Darien and Tom scouted an area where they received a tip that the killer they're looking for likes to hang out. It was one of those bars on the outskirts of the city where your local blue collar worker or as they're now known, frayed-collar workers. They're the ones having trouble making ends meet and they frequently gather at this bar after work to drown the day away. It was a small place and a perfect one to track a victim. Most of these people were from lower income families, not high-profile people. They didn't have the kind of money that would get them on the front page but just another slight mention in the obituaries. 

Darien and Tom waited with the patience of a Chameleon on the trial of its prey. Darien sat at the bar while Tom sat at one of the tables in the back, but never lost visual contact with each other. Before the door opened their attention was focused on the person about to enter, a dominant male. Bruce Springsteen's _Glory Days_ blared on the juke box as the door opened. A man of medium height and build walked in. He wore blue jeans, work boots, a dirty blue shirt and had a short hair cut. If he wanted to blend in with the crowd he certainly knew how to dress. 

Tom slowly made his way around the bar to keep out of sight. He had so far been able to mask himself and sense he felt no emotional change in the target, Darien was successfully masking himself as well. All they had to do was wait for their suspect to make his move. 

The dominant killer sat at the far end of the bar. This was his perch. He could see most of the people from this spot and keep an eye on the door for any other potential victims. Tonight, he felt good and smiled at the hapless humans. He felt like a lion overlooking a herd of zebras. All he had to do was find the right one and go for the kill. But first he would enjoy a few rounds, he was in no hurry. Like the humans are so found of saying, patience is a virtue.

The program showed that nearly all the affected men were in one area. The clinic was right in the middle of the infected zone. Ed figured that was the case since the men would seek help. If they were out of the zone, the men would go somewhere else and they wouldn't be able to observe the results as closely. Ed had also noticed that when he was going over some of his results with Ian, the tiny refrigerator in Ian's office was stocked with bottle water. The Scottish doctor had offered Ed a drink and opened it up to reveal his private stash. Ed pretended that he hadn't noticed and quickly looked down at his results as he spoke to Ian.

After getting their revelation, Ed and Hobbes decided they should leave and headed straight to the plane. Since the dominant situation began, a part of the plane had been converted into a mini-lab. The backs of the chairs leaned all the way back so they could be used as beds. Ed and Hobbes decided it best to use the plane as their hotel room and a safe refuge. "So, you think what's ever causing this could be in the water?" Hobbes stated as he paced around.

"Yeah, that's my first guess. It could be anti-sperm agents." Ed paused and then continued, "I need to get some samples from the water plant also."

"So, I guess that means we'll be paying a visit to the water plant tonight?"

Ed glanced at Hobbes, "Yeah. I need to pay a visit to Ian's office first. I have an idea on how I can find who his contact is at the plant." He paused looking at the cup of water Hobbes got for him at the clinic, "Guess this gland is going to be useful after all."

Later on, Ed entered the office, not really knowing what to expect. He went in as quietly as he could. Thankfully it was empty and Ed made his way over to the computer. The chair squeaked as he sat down. The quicksilver flaked off. "Hmm, have to admit, this invisibility thing sure does come in handy." He hoped he could hack into the files or else this was going to be a short mission. As Ed typed he started to sing. 

_"There's a man who leads a life of danger  
To everyone he meets he stays a stranger  
With every move he makes another chance he takes  
Odds are he won't live to see tomorrow  
  
Secret agent man, secret agent man  
They've given you a number and taken away your name"_

Hobbes voice interrupted his singing, "Tiger to Dexter, what's your sit rep?"

"My what?" Ed answered back quizzically.

Hobbes rolled his eyes, 'I gotta remember he's a greenhorn,' he commented annoyingly to himself and then continued in a semi-aggravated tone, "Your location."

"Oh, I'm in MacKay's office and I'm accessing the files." Ed replied as he adjusted the earpiece.

"How's the ol' ticker doin'?" Hobbes asked.

Ed took a peek at his tattoo, "Okay, four are red."

"Yeah and I'm sure two of those were from your extracurricular activity today. Go easy on the silver stuff, okay."

"Yeah, no problem, just make sure you have the counteragent handy just in case." Ed typed for a few more moments and something caught his eye. "Whoa…hey, I found something."

"What?"

"I accessed his banking account."

A shocked expression appeared on Hobbes face suddenly, "You can do that?"

Ed smiled, he thought back to the time when Sloan asked him to hack into the phone company records. "Hobbes, there's a lot of things I can do. I am an only child you know. Anyway, it appears that our friend here received a few kickbacks."

"Interesting."

"And they're from a man named Henry Clements…I'm checking something here…" Ed paused he typed and a list of names appeared on the screen, "…and…boom…there he is. Oh crap…Hobbes…he works for the North of Scotland Water Authority, he's in charge of this zone. I bet he's been getting some kickbacks himself."

"That wouldn't surprise me. What else can you find?"

"Let me check the phone records."

Hobbes shook his head, "He looks and talks like Fawkes but acts like Ebes at times," he noted under his breath so Ed wouldn't hear him. "Is hacking a part of medical studies these days?"

Ed chuckled, "No, it's not. My college roommate was a hacker and he taught me everything I know."

"And what does he do for a living?"

"He's a doctor."

Hobbes rolled his eyes. After a few moments, Ed's voice was heard, "Okay, I'm in. He's called this Clements guy a few times…and…oh…I see Walter's number and another one right after he hung up?"

"Yeah, who did he call?"

"There's no name, but it's a US number…it has a Los Angeles area code."

Hobbes leaned forward in his chair, a look of apprehension appeared. In an anxious tone, he said, "Okay, kid get out of there, you've done enough."

"But, Hobbes…"

"But nothin', I'm in charge of this field trip, now get out!" Hobbes was nervous, not for him but for Ed. He had a pretty good idea who Ian called and if he's right, Ed was in danger…they both were.

Ed shut down the computer but he managed to get some more information. He let the quicksilver flow and left the office. Quietly he walked down the hall and out of the building. Once outside the clinic he took off running towards the car. He hopped in and Hobbes drove off. When they were safely away, he dropped the quicksilver and stared at Hobbes, "What's wrong?"

"I had a bad feeling that's all."

"Hobbes, tell me, we're partners remember."

"I think I have an idea on who Ian called," Hobbes looked at Ed, "I think it might have been Lewis…don't ask me how I know, but just go with me on this."

Ed looked out the window as Hobbes drove, "I was able to find who Ian called at the plant, his name is Allen Stewart."

"Then I guess that's our next stop. Get your water sample and get out ASAP. I'm the only back up you've got."

They had been at the bar for some time now. Darien had left the bar to go shoot some pool as Tom watched their suspect. He was a very patient killer. Tom had almost suspected some Chameleon like training in him. The dominant just sat there not really doing anything but just watching. 

People had come and gone for the last couple of hours without the killer even giving them a look. Tom began to suspect that he was waiting for someone in particular. Darien glanced up from his game and shot Tom a glance. Their attention immediately turned to the door. A few seconds later it opened and a woman walked in. 

"A dominant?" Tom said to himself as he looked at her with raised brows. He turned to check on the suspect and he had shifted positions on the bar stool.

Darien watched her as she seemed to make eye contact with him. She smiled at him and strolled over to the jukebox. She made her selection and walked towards him. Tom and the killer watched her closely. Darien looked around to see if she was actually going to go to someone else. Darien didn't even notice the song that had started to play, _Invisible Touch_ by Genesis.

She walked right up to Darien. "Mind if I play?"

Darien held the cue stick in his hands. "Uh…sure." As she walked by he gave Tom a quizzical look. He also noticed that their suspect had moved. He gestured to Tom to where the killer had moved. It appeared that the female dominant was his target, but why?

The woman returned with a cue stick in her hands. She looked at Darien and smiled, "Are you going to rack the balls or do you want me to do that?"

"Huh? Oh, my bad, I'm sorry. I'll rack 'em up." He put his hand out embarrassed, "I'm Darien."

She reached out her hand and shook it gently, "I'm Tabitha, nice to meet you, Darien." 

Ed raced out of the plant as quickly as possible. He had to use more quicksilver than at the clinic. The differences between the two were a small matter called guards. Hobbes was ready for him. Through the goggles he could see the green image staggering from the building. "C'mon, Tate, you can do it," Hobbes said through the ear piece. He couldn't risk running to his aid now, security would certainly see him from the cameras as Ed was still too close to the water plant.

"C'mon, kid, don't let it take control. You're almost there," Hobbes said. Ed had been groaning for about five minutes now and it was close…too close. All he could to do was wait for Ed to get pass the main gate and he could give him the counteragent. Then a thought hit Hobbes, "Keepie should make a counteragent dart. It would be so easy, just aim, fire and bam, counteragent delivered from a distance."

Ed stumbled just as he reached the gate. Hobbes could tell that he was clutching the back of his head. By the sounds of his grunts and the way he was panting heavily, Ed was probably in stage two. Hobbes had started to take a step towards him and risk being seen by the guard at the gate, but stopped when Ed got to his feet. 

Ed could feel it coming and he was determined not to let it happen. He had heard Hobbes over the earpiece encouraging him and he was not about to fail. He quickly and quietly made it through the gate. The guard had looked up from the magazine at one moment, but shook his head and went back to reading. Ed took in a deep breath and ran for Hobbes.

Another wave of pain ripped through Ed's head and he collapsed on the ground just yards away from Hobbes. He had to risk it now. Hobbes took off in Ed's direction. He found the man writhing in pain. The quicksilver flaked off and Hobbes lifted him up and laid him across his shoulders in a fireman's carry. As best he could, Hobbes ran for the rental car. Ed groaned and fought back the madness with all the strength he had. "This reminds of a joke. A man walked into a bar with an anthropologist on his back. The bartender said, 'Why do you have an anthropologist on your back?'"

"Hobbes," Ed grunted more than slightly annoyed that he decided at this moment to tell him a joke.

Once they reached the car, Hobbes put Ed down on the ground and pulled out the counteragent. He leaned Ed forward as he continued telling his joke, "Let me finish. Anyway, the man said, 'An anthropologist? I thought I had a monkey on my back.' You get it…monkey…anthropology…c'mon, you know it was funny." Hobbes injected the counteragent into the tall man's system. The chemical worked quickly as Ed grunted one last time before his body relaxed in unconsciousness. Hobbes caught him and held him in his arms and waited until he came around. He checked Ed's tattoo and all segments were green, "You did good, doc, real good."

TBC…


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Darien looked up in shock as Tabitha beat him in pool, for the third time. "I do believe you owe me that drink now," she said with a victorious grin.

Darien slowly stood to his full height from the bar stool he had been keeping warm. "A bet's a bet." He walked over to the bar and ordered a beer for her and for him. Tom continued to study the emotions of the killer, he was hard to sense. He walked over to Darien as if he was going to buy a drink. "Think it's her?" Tom asked.

"Maybe…or an accomplice." Darien paid for the beers.

"Be careful," Tom said as he turned to walk away.

Darien took the beers and walked back to where Tabitha was sitting. She had sat down at a booth at the far end of the bar. She smiled when Darien sat down across from her. "Does your wife know that you come here and buy drinks for other women?"

"Yeah…well, I mean, she knows that I come here, but I wouldn't be a gentleman if I didn't settle on the bet," Darien noted as he took a sip from his beer.

"I should have betted on something else then," she said replied with a smirk.

"I wouldn't have gone beyond the drink. I made a vow and I plan on keeping it."

"She must be one helluva woman."

Darien let out a long breath, "That she is."

They played one more round of pool and Darien won this time. After he drank the spoils of his victory, he and Tabitha talked for awhile. Later they decided it was time to leave. Darien walked her outside. The killer followed and Tom kept a safe distance. When they reached her car two tires were flat. She threw her arms up in the air in disgust, "I can't believe it!"

"Oh crap…two…" Darien looked around, he knew the dominant was close by. This was certainly starting to look like a trap. After a few moments of running ideas through his head, he decided to go along with it and use himself as the bait. If she is an accomplice then they could catch them both. "Hey, let me give you a ride home and then tomorrow you can call a tow truck or something."

Tabitha glanced at him with a gleam in her eye. "Really, oh that would be great. You really are a gentleman…you are one of a kind."

Darien looked off to the side and said under his breath as he led her to his car, "You have no idea."

Tom noticed that the killer got in his car. It was a good thing that he suggested they go in separate cars, that way no one would see them arrive together. Tom got inside his car and followed the dominant but stayed far enough away. He didn't like this one bit, but he also knew that Darien was aware of it also.

The plane flew over the Atlantic on the way back to San Diego. Since it was just them and the crew and not a jumbo jet loaded with luggage and people, they would make it back in less time. Ed and Hobbes decided to pass the time away by going over what they found and tried to piece it all together.

Ed had gotten the water samples he needed plus a few more bits of information from Allen Stewart's office. "The three of them are all in this together. Allen Stewart is obviously putting something in the water at the plant itself, probably after it's gone through the filtering and testing. Henry Clement is probably making sure that no one discovers the extra additive and is covering it up somehow. Then we've got Dr. Ian MacKay who is overseeing the results." Ed stated as he sat on the chair across from Hobbes.

"_The Three Amigos_," Hobbes retorted.

"Yeah…only they're not trying to save a village from El Guapo…they're working for El Guapo."

"And they're all enjoying a nice little kickback in return for being traitors."

"Well, now that we know or at least suspect something, that may all end."

"Well, what ever they get they deserve," Hobbes stated leaning back on the chair.

Ed yawned and stretched out his arms, "I don't know about you, but I'm exhausted."

Hobbes nodded, "You did a lot back there, held it together when you had to. You deserve some sleep. I'll keep an eye on things." He watched as Ed put the back of the chair down and closed his eyes. At the moment, Hobbes wasn't very trustful of people including the crew flying the plane. He needed to protect Ed and not just because he was the not-so-proud owner of a quicksilver gland but because Ed was on the front lines of their fight for survival.

Darien drove as he kept looking into his rear view mirror. He was being followed and it wasn't Tom. Tabitha looked over at him. Lewis had warned her about him. That he was different even from the dominants born from mixed parents. They didn't know a lot about Darien and that made him even more dangerous. She had to keep her thoughts simple and off the mission. Lewis worked long and hard with her, almost to the point of brainwashing her.

Darien had looked into her mind earlier and found that she was different. He met her gaze. She blinked a few times and looked out at the dark road ahead, "Look, I know you're not human, I knew when I first saw you and I'm sure you know the same about me."

"Yeah, hey, but it's cool, you don't seem like the others," Darien said trying to start a conversation.

"Others? You mean…"

"The ones that want a war," Darien stated calmly.

"You know that sounds strange from someone who masks themselves like a Chameleon. Are you like the Gestapo or the KGB, you know, a part of some secret police force?"

"They have that?" Darien inquired in an astounded tone as he drove.

"Not sure. But I wouldn't be surprised. Why were you masking yourself?"

Darien glanced at her. He didn't completely trust her, at least not yet. "I'm…"

The car suddenly jerked forward interrupting Darien. "What the…" He glanced in his rear view mirror and saw the dominant they had been watching at the bar. "Oh crap…"

Tabitha turned her head and fear filled her. Darien looked at her surprised. That emotion was not what he'd expected. "Do you know him?" He asked her as he pressed on the gas.

"Yes…" The car jerked forward again.

"Damn! Okay, hold on!" Darien said. "C'mon ol' girl, I know you've got something left in ya," he said as he pushed his old blue car to its limit. The dominant caught up to them and forced Darien's car into a fish-tail spin. The blue car spun around and off the road. The car came to a stop facing the direction it had just come from. Darien looked at Tabitha, "Wait here."

"But Darien," she exclaimed grabbing a hold of his arm.

Darien looked down at her hand and then back to her concerned face, "I'm not human…remember." Darien got of the car and approached the dominant. "What do you think you're doing?"

The dominant got out of his car and glanced at Darien. "You're not human."

"So you noticed." Darien became aware that Tom wasn't too far away. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his badge. "I'm a Federal Agent, and guess what? You're under arrest."

The dominant smiled and it reminded Darien of the same cockiness that Lynch projected. "You'd arrest one of your own?"

Darien sauntered towards him, "Yeah, when you kill innocent people."

"Innocent? You call humans innocent? They're just as guilty and you know that. Look at their history, they kill what they don't understand or anyone that's different from them. You even work with them. Do they know who you are?" The dominant approached Darien.

"Yeah, they do." Darien lunged for the dominant and they tussled on the ground. Tom pulled his car off the road and hopped out. Tabitha recognized him and smiled.

Tom looked at the two on the ground and then back to her, "Stay in the car!" Tom took out his gun and aimed it at the dominant. "Stop! FBI!"

Tabitha took her own gun from her purse, leaned out the window and shot Tom. The sound of the shot distracted Darien. He saw Tom fall to the ground, "Tom!" The dominant he was fighting laid a right across Darien's jaw and sent him rolling down the embankment. Tabitha got out of the car with a syringe in her hand and quickly ran down to Darien. She found him dazed and inserted the needle into his neck. Before Darien could react, the contents flowed into his system. He grabbed her but his vision became blurry. He let go and his head fell back to the ground. Tabitha rose to her feet and grinned at him, "You're not so invincible after all."

"What did you do?" Darien asked half groggy.

"You'll find out. Oh and don't worry about Tom, it was only a dart. We don't want either of you dead."

"Who's 'we'?" Darien asked as he struggled to get to his feet.

"I'm sure you know. See you soon and then maybe we can get to know each other more intimately," Tabitha turned and headed to the car with the other dominant. They drove off as Tabitha called Lewis.

Darien made it back up the embankment and saw Tom lying on the ground. He staggered to him and tried to wake him up, but he didn't move. Darien dragged him to his car and pulled him inside to rest on the back seat. Darien sat behind the wheel and reached for his phone. He needed to call Claire for help, but his phone rang before he could even use the speed dial. He really couldn't see the number but answered it anyway.

"Fawkes." He answered sounding half drunk.

"Darien, good to hear your voice again. Listen, we shall reign in the kingdom of man."

Darien's eyes opened wide. He turned and looked at Tom, "What do I do?"

"Open your glove compartment…"

Darien leaned over and opened it up. "I see a syringe."

"Good, take it out and give that to Tom so that he can come back to us too." Lewis waited for Darien to come back to let him know that he had given Tom the injection. After about five minutes Darien picked up his phone. "Okay, it's done."

"Good. Tom will be asleep for a long time from the tranquilizer. Now, I need for you to take care of Sloan Parker and the others, but bring Ed Tate to me."

Darien hung up and held up the syringe, it was still full. He didn't give it to Tom, he had another idea instead. He smiled mischievously as he drove off leaving Tom behind tied up in the trunk of his own car, "Lewis, who in the hell do you think you're kidding?"

It had been a long trip back home and it was now late in the day on Saturday. The two men had just spent nearly a whole day on the jet and they didn't want to see another one for a very long time. Hobbes had headed home after dropping Ed off at the Agency. His car was still there since Hobbes drove them both to the airport. Ed wanted to get the samples prepared and ready for testing before he went home. He walked through the back door and headed up to his office.

He walked into the lab and found that the equipment was still on. "Odd," Ed thought out loud. He looked in Sloan's office and her things were still there. "Hmm…" He didn't know what to think. He shrugged it off and took off his coat. He hung it on the coat rack and put on his lab coat. Before leaving his office he decided to call Claire again. He had tried at the airport but there was no answer and the same with her cell phone. He tried again and got the same result. "Okay, did I step into the _Langoliers_ zone or something? Sloan's stuff is here, the equipment is on…Where is Sloan?" Just as he spoke his phone rang. He picked it up cautiously.

"Dr. Tate."

"Oh, hey, Ed. Wasn't sure if you were back or not."

"Darien? Have you seen Claire?"

"Yeah, she's down here in the Keep…I sorta got injured and well, she came in to fix me."

Ed smiled, "How come that doesn't surprise me. I'll be down in a minute."

"She would have called you herself but her hands are sort of tied up at the moment."

"No problem, just tell her I'm here."

"Yeah, sure thing, bro."

Ed hung up the phone and shook his head. Darien meanwhile sauntered over to where Claire really was tied up, he bent his knees to be at eye level with her. "Hubby's comin' down soon and then we can finally get this party started."

Claire shook her head in protest. Darien laughed, "Don't worry, Keepie, I don't plan on killing him, just want to take him up an offer he gave me one time. Of course, getting him to stage five will take some effort, but I'm sure I can persuade him."

After a few minutes, Ed walked into the Keep not knowing what was about to happen. He looked around and didn't see anybody, "Huh, that's weird. Claire? Darien?" He stepped in a little more and heard muffled grunts. "My God…what happened here?" Ed saw that Claire, Sloan and Tara were tied to chairs. He started to rush over when he felt strong hands on him pulling backwards, "What the…" Ed was tossed through Claire's glass partition before he could even finish his question.

The women watched in horror as Ed fell limply to the floor in a pile of broken glass. Claire struggled in her restraints as tears fell down her face. This couldn't be happening and the worst thing was Darien was doing this.

Darien leaned forward to take a good look at his handy work, "It's about time you got back in town. I've waited almost the whole day for you. Not my idea of spending my weekend." Darien grabbed Ed's feet and pulled him from the glass.

Ed moaned as Darien dragged him across the floor leaving a trail of blood from his cuts. Tara struggled to get free but Darien tied her ropes extra tight. Sloan watched helpless. Darien dropped Ed right at Claire's feet. She glanced at Darien with terrified eyes. Darien chuckled menacingly, "Ah…what's the matter Keepie? Don't like seeing your hubby roughed up. Well, you won't like what I'm about to do to him."

Claire shook her head and her pleas were muffled. Darien reached into his pocket and pulled out a syringe given to him by Tabitha. A malicious smile spread across his face as he bent down next to Ed. "Time for you to join me, bro," Darien said as he plunged the needle into Ed's neck and pushed down on the plunger. Claire and Sloan both tried to yell out Ed's name, but the gag muted their cries.

Ed groaned when he felt the needle penetrate his skin. He tried to move but he was still dazed. He didn't know what was happening until it was too late. The cool liquid rushed through his veins and he knew what ever Darien had given would soon take effect. Sloan started to cry. Darien stood up and placed the used syringe on the table. Claire kept her eyes on Ed. She was scared. No one knew what Darien had given him, the worst thought was that it was the conversion serum.

Ed began to moan as the drug took effect. He tried to roll over but only managed to put pressure on his hands. Darien smiled, "Watch this, this is really going to be special…or at least I hope it will."

Claire looked back down at Ed who began to cry out in pain. He curled up in a ball and screamed. Sloan looked at Ed and then at Darien. Darien was smiling and eating the popcorn Claire had made just a few moments before this nightmare started.

Ed could feel his head about ready to explode. Even the headaches for quicksilver couldn't compare to what he was feeling. Bright piercing white light invaded his vision. Even his ears felt like they would pop. It dawned on him that he could hear someone screaming. He recognized the voice as his own but it sounded so distant like he was in a tunnel calling out to himself from the other end. Then as quickly as it started, it stopped. He panted, trying to catch his breath. Then he heard a voice…Darien's voice.

"Now that's something I didn't expect." Darien knew of course, could sense the change in Ed.

Ed rested for a moment, he felt different, not dominant different, but something else. Darien bent down and helped the raged scientist to his feet. The women didn't know what happened to Ed. Darien smiled, "Welcome back, bro."

"What happened?" Ed said wearily.

"Don't worry, you'll be fine. You'll get your bearings in a moment. Why don't you turn around and say 'hi' to your wife," Darien grinned. He couldn't wait to see Claire's reaction.

Ed turned around and smiled, "Hey, babe."

Claire screamed. But she wasn't the only one; Sloan had let out a muted scream of her own. Claire shook her head back and forth as ruby colored eyes with silver irises stared back at her.

Darien put his arm around Ed and grinned at Claire, "Don't you just love the look? I do." He patted Ed's shoulder, "C'mon, bro, we need to get out of here before the Calvary shows up."

"Speaking of the Calvary, where's Tom?" Ed asked.

Darien smiled, "He's in his car tied up somewhere."

Ed chuckled and then turned to fumble around in one of the drawers. "I've got to do something first…ah…there you are," he pulled out a small container wrapped in a blue towel. Claire watched him suspiciously. He unwrapped the top layer of the box and then retrieved a pair of surgical gloves. He glanced at Darien, "Can't be too careful, you know." He reached and pulled out a scalpel and held it up so the light would reflect onto Claire's face. Ed smiled at her and bent down close to her making sure that she could see the scalpel. "I can't have you tracking me down, sweetheart, now can I?" He kissed her gently.

Ed turned to Darien, "Get that iodine and put some of it on a gauze, then clean my wrist with it."

Darien knew what Ed was going to do and he could nearly smell the blood now. He did as Ed instructed. Ed laid his wrist on a towel and began to cut into his own wrist. He made a small hole and barely flinched. Claire couldn't believe what Ed was doing; he was removing his own monitor. Sloan turned her gaze away; she couldn't stand to see Ed like this. It didn't take Ed long until he was holding up the monitor at the end of a hemostat. Ed quickly stitched up his wrist and took some medication that he placed in his pocket. "Don't need an infection setting in…I can deal with the pain, in fact, I rather like it."

Ed walked over to Claire and ran his hand across her wet cheeks from crying. "Wish we had more time, babe," he bent down and cupped her breast, "But I've got a world to conquer. Maybe another time." He turned to Darien, "Let me get some supplies to clean myself up in the car."

Ed didn't waste anytime; he had grabbed some more medical supplies to tend to his cuts. Both Darien and Ed ran from the Keep leaving, Claire, Sloan and Tara helpless.

Once outside, Darien put his hand on Ed's shoulder, "Don't clean yourself up yet, I've got an idea." Darien turned and smiled at Ed.

"Okay, what's this plan of yours," Ed asked.

"You'll see. Do you have your climbing rope in your car?"

"Yeah,"

"Get it."

Ed reached into the back of his new car and handed Darien the rope. "Okay, I'm gonna tie you up, but loosely. I'll put you in the trunk of my car but don't worry, you'll like where we're going."

"You're not setting me up are you?" Ed asked suspiciously.

"I brought you back so why would I set you up? No…this is part of the plan to get inside. But I will promise you, we're going to have some fun," Darien smiled at Ed.

Ed shook his head, "Okay, I trust you. But you better not double cross me."

"You're my bro, we're about to have the world as our playground. I'm taking you up on the offer you made to me, remember?"

"Yeah, I do." Ed stuck his hands out and Darien began to tie him up.

"We've got a few things to take care of first, and then we can be on our way to wine, women and fortune." He helped Ed into the trunk and tied up his legs. "Don't worry, this is only for effect. Just relax and enjoy the ride to the ultimate freedom."

Ed wondered where they were going and by the way Darien was talking, it must be somewhere they were least expected and would have the most fun. He smiled in anticipation as the trunk closed.

TBC…


	9. Chapter 9

A/N:_ Bad Moon Rising_ was written by J.C. Fogerty and performed by Creedence Clearwater Revival…yes, I'm showing my age J. Good ol' CCR.

Chapter 9

_I see the bad moon arising.  
I see trouble on the way.  
I see earthquakes and lightnin'.  
I see bad times today. _

_Don't go around tonight,  
Well, it's bound to take your life,  
There's a bad moon on the rise. _

Hobbes rushed to the Agency as quickly as he could. He entered the lab and saw the mess. Hobbes had instructed the agents not to clean up until he got there. The first thing that caught his attention was the broken glass partition and the trail of blood leading to the back of the Keep. Hobbes went over to Claire who was busy with some printouts, "Are you okay?" He asked putting a gentle hand on her shoulder.

Claire looked up at him with red swollen eyes, "Yeah, he…they didn't hurt me really. I was more scared than anything."

"So, what happened?" Hobbes asked as he glanced over at Tara who was questioning Tom.

"I was in here doing some work for Ed's cure when Darien rushed in and overpowered me. Before I knew it I was tied to a chair and gagged. Tara and Sloan were here to do some work for Walter. He called them in and easily handled them. I don't think Tara was expecting it. The last one he called was Ed…" Claire put her hand to her mouth, "Oh God, Bobby, when Ed came in Darien grabbed him from behind and threw him through the glass partition. I thought Darien was going to kill him." She leaned on his shoulder.

Hobbes patted her back, "It's gonna be okay, Claire, tell me, what happened next."

"Darien dragged Ed and just dropped him at my feet. He barely moved. I was relieved when he groaned, but then Darien injected him with something. I'm running an analysis on what it was now. Darien left the syringe and there was some residue from the chemical in it." Claire paused as the memory of what happened flashed through her mind again. She looked at Hobbes in dismay, "Darien just stood there, eating popcorn like he was at the movies…"

Tara and Tom came over to listen to what Claire was saying.

"Ed was in pain, he screamed…" Claire took in a deep breath and continued, "He stopped suddenly, I didn't know what to think. Then Darien said something like, 'That wasn't what I was expecting'," Claire looked at Hobbes through distraught eyes, "I think he knew…"

"Knew what?" Hobbes asked.

"That Ed was in stage five madness. Whatever it was, it pushed him straight into madness, like that new counteragent I was working on for Darien. Bobby…" Claire motioned for Hobbes to look in the silver bowl, "…Ed cut out his monitor…we have no way of tracking him."

Hobbes turned and looked inside. There was the monitor that had been implanted in Ed at the bottom of bowl. A shudder went through Hobbes as he thought about Ed cutting himself to remove it. "Now that's gross," Hobbes said to no one in particular.

Claire handed the papers to Tara, "Do you recognize this?"

Tara studied it for a moment and then she sat down, "Yeah, I do. It's my father's serum he uses when he programs Chameleons."

The atmosphere in the room became heavy with despair. "Wait, that means that Lewis has control of Darien again and now he's got Ed?" Claire said exasperated.

Tara shook her head, "I don't think Ed was the one that was supposed to get this injection."

"If not Ed then who?" Sloan asked.

Tara looked at Tom. He raised a brow and a stern look came over his face, "Me."

"Okay, if it was meant for Tom, then why would Darien give it to Ed?" Claire asked grasping to make sense of all this.

"Because Lewis doesn't really have Fawkes under control," Hobbes stated.

"What do you mean?" Sloan asked.

"Look we all know that Lewis wants you all dead. Fawkes obviously had his chance and he didn't," Hobbes remarked.

"Wait, at the base, Ed had made an offer to Darien to go with him…" Tara remarked.

"Of course, now Fawkes is taking Tate up on his offer. This isn't the first time the kid wanted to take off." Hobbes said.

"But I doubt that Darien knew what reaction Ed would have to this serum. I think he felt that he could control Ed like Lewis controls Chameleons," Tom added.

"This is one big friggin' mess," Hobbes retorted.

"And what are you going to do about it?" The Official asked as he stormed into the Keep and surveyed the mess. "Tell me that blood belongs to Fawkes," he shouted.

"Ah, negative, sir, it belongs to Tate." Hobbes answered.

Claire sat down, "How? How did this happen?"

Everyone glanced at Tom. "We checked on the tip that we got about the serial killer hanging out at a bar. We stayed there and saw the suspect enter. We waited until he made his move but nothing happened until a woman, a dominant woman walked in. She played pool with Darien and when she left the bar sometime later, she noticed that her tires were flat. Darien offered to take her home. Our suspect followed them and I followed behind him. He must have rammed Darien's car and forced him to stop. They were fighting by the time I got there. I told them to stop and announced that I was with the FBI. That's the last thing I remember. I must have been hit with a dart or something. When I woke up, I was in the trunk of my car tied up. I can only suspect that it was Darien, or the woman or both. I was eventually able to loosen the rope to get my hands free. I reached the release for the backseat, pushed it down and crawled through. I hot wired the car and called Ray as I drove here."

"You have an ID on this chick?" Hobbes asked.

"No, I suspected that she was an accomplice and so did Darien." Tom noted.

Ray walked in holding a small pad of paper. He flipped through it as he spoke, "I spoke with the bartender and he remembers seeing Darien leave with the woman. She never came back for the car. As it turns out, it was stolen and there are no fingerprints. The car is clean. I got a description of the woman and the man that was the suspected serial killer, but I doubt we'll get any identification on them."

The Official looked at Hobbes sternly, "Find them. The last thing we need is for Lewis to get his hands on two quicksilver glands," the Official turned on his heels and then as a second thought he turned around, "What about Dr. Tate's monitor? Did anyone think of tracking him down with that?"

Hobbes picked up the bowl, "Ah yes, sir, we did think of the monitor," he showed the contents to the Official, "But it appears that the good doc did some surgery on himself."

"Ah, excuse me, sir…" Eberts stepped from behind the Official, "If Lewis did contact Agent Fawkes by phone; we could still track them down by triangulating his cell phone…as long as he still has it on of course."

"And if he don't, Eeeberts, what do you suggest we do?" Hobbes noted with an irritated tone.

"Well, then the next logical course of action would be to enlist the help of Dr. Attwood and his resources. As I recall he was able to track down Agent Daniels and Drs. Parker and Tate in the Mexican desert."

The Official grunted and looked sternly at Hobbes, "I don't care how you do it, just bring them back here and I'll deal with them accordingly."

Claire stood up, "Sir, you wouldn't?"

The Official glared at her. "I will do what I have to do to ensure the safety of this project, with or without Fawkes and Dr. Tate. Do I make myself clear?" Before Claire could protest, the Official left with Eberts following behind him.

Sloan approached Claire, "Did he mean what I thought he meant?"

"Yes," Claire looked down at the floor. "He'll kill them both if he has to."

"Which means he'll have other agents looking for them," Hobbes looked at Tom, "If you where an out of control dominant, where would you go?"

"There are two possibilities, either they went after Lewis or the High Council," Tom said.

"Why's that?" Sloan asked.

"Other than us, they'd be looking for him too. Darien would want to send a message not to mess with him and what better message than Lewis or the High Council." Tara added.

"Right, and it would have to be a high profile kill…" Tom looked up, "The High Council."

"Let's go and see if Eberts can track them down," Hobbes said.

Sloan went to follow Tom. He turned around and stopped her, "No, you stay here. Claire needs you right now and if we confront Lewis or the Council, I don't want you in harms way. Darien and Ed are both dangerous. I saw what Ed did at the base, he won't think twice about hurting you or worse, killing you."

Sloan shook her head. She remembered how Ed was that day when he came to the Agency. From what she was told what Ed did at the base, he was worse than what she confronted. "Okay, I'll stay here with Claire."

"Bobby…" Claire called out to Hobbes. He stopped and turned around. "Here are a couple of tranq guns with some darts. Ed has only twelve hours before he goes permanent and that's without quicksilver use…if he uses it. I'll have counteragent ready. Please, bring them back alive."

Hobbes looked at her troubled. Before, he was either going out to rescue Darien or Ed and now it was both. But the difference now is he was facing two nut cases who could turn invisible. "I'll do my best, Claire. I promise."

"I guess I'll have to settle for that," Claire said and then sighed heavily.

"That's not our only problem," Tara said with a hint of foreboding in her voice.

Hobbes turned and shot her an inquiring glance, "What now?"

"The serum…" Tara paused and looked at Claire, "…it's not made for the chemical balance in the human mind."

Claire's shoulders slumped at Tara's words. She hadn't thought about that.

"What will happen to Ed?" Sloan asked.

"Not sure, it's never been used on a human before. But obviously even for Darien, it doesn't work. That may have to do with the gland and how the quicksilver secretions in his blood stream interact with the chemical make-up of the serum. With Ed, who knows what will happen."

"Well, we do know that it put him straight to stage five madness," Sloan answered. "What could happen?"

"Like I said, I don't know. Darien and Ed's glands are different and Ed is still receiving counteragent. Anything could happen?"

Hobbes handed one of the dart guns to Tom. "Then why are we standing around wasting valuable time? Let's find the demented double-mint twins and bring them back so Claire can fix 'em."

"I'll stay with Claire and Sloan so we can try and figure out how this might affect Ed." Tara said looking at Claire who acknowledged her agreement with a worried nod.

"Call Darcy, we made need her to help us with Darien," Tom said as he placed his hands on Sloan's shoulders.

"Like I helped you," Sloan answered.

"Yes." Tom looked deep into her eyes and felt her fear. "We'll find them and bring them back safely."

"Tom, be careful."

"I will." He placed a kiss on her cheek and left the lab. She turned and faced Claire. "Let's get to work."

_I hear hurricanes a blowing.  
I know the end is coming soon.  
I fear rivers over flowing.  
I hear the voice of rage and ruin. _

_Don't go around tonight,  
Well, it's bound to take your life,  
There's a bad moon on the rise.  
All right! _

Darien opened the trunk. Ed's eyes squinted from the sudden flash of bright light. "Hmm…that reminds me. Your eyes aren't exactly…normal…" Darien reached down and tore off a piece of Ed's lab coat. "Lift your head for a sec, I need to put a blindfold on you so they won't see your eyes."

"They?" Ed asked quizzically.

"Yeah, Ed, we're at the High Council." Darien finished with the blindfold.

"The High Council! You double-crossed me!" Ed said furiously. He tried to leap from the trunk and attack Darien, but since he was tied up it was to no avail. Darien quickly got the upper hand and pushed his scientist twin back to the floor of the trunk.

"No, no, look, we're here to take of business. I promise. If we're going to go on the run, we need to make sure that certain people don't try to hunt us down." Darien released Ed. "Trust me, bro. You're going to enjoy this as much as I am. They don't even know what's comin'." He took the ropes off of Ed's feet and helped him from the trunk. "Ready?"

"Oh yeah," Ed answered passionately.

"Good, now act like I've beaten the crap outta you. I'm gonna treat you rough too, so don't take it personally."

"I've got no problem with that."

Darien gripped Ed roughly by his arm and dragged him along to the front of the building. Two men were standing guard outside. They stopped Darien. "I'm here to see the High Council, I've got a present for them." Darien pointed to Ed's ID card. The guards studied the state Ed was in and smiled. They motioned for Darien to enter. They followed behind Darien and the doors closed behind them. Darien pushed Ed down the hall and he fell to the ground with a groan. The two guards shook their heads in approval at the rough handling of the human. Darien yelled at Ed.

"Get up!"

"Darien, please…don't do this…" Ed was cut off by Darien grabbing him by his hair and forcing him to his feet. Ed groaned in pain as he stood to his feet.

In a whinny tone, Darien mimicked Ed's plea, "Darien, please…don't do this…"He sneered at Ed, "I told you to get up…shut-up and move it!" Darien pushed Ed down the hall again. Ed used the wall for support as he stumbled down the hall. When they reached the double doors to the main room, the two guards opened them and Darien pushed Ed inside.

The High Council watched as Ed Tate fell to the floor. Darien sauntered in and glared at Ed. "Get to your feet."

Ed struggled on weak legs but managed to stand. The High Council leaned forward in their chairs to get a good look. The right side of Ed's lab coat was stained in blood. His hair was matted in blood on the right side. There was a visible sign that at one point blood had flowed from the wound and streaked down his face to his clothes. The tall man could barely stand straight. The sight of him delighted the unsuspecting members of the High Council.

John Barrette smiled, "Well done, Darien. Lewis had told us that you had rejoined us and by bringing us Dr. Ed Tate you've proven it. Now, take his blindfold off so that we can see the fear in his eyes."

A big grin spread across Darien's face, "Thought you'd never ask." He removed the blindfold, but Ed kept his eyes closed. "You heard the man, he wants to see fear…show them fear, Ed."

Ed raised his head and opened his eyes slowly. Darien snickered, "Now, isn't that the scariest thing you've ever seen or is this?" Darien's eyes became black as coal.

It's not often dominants show fear. They're taught that fear reveals weakness and vulnerability. But as they stared into the abnormal eyes in front of them, it was an emotion that couldn't be suppressed. Ed's eyes were filled with a hunger for blood that they've never seen before even with trained predators. And Darien's…Darien's eyes were as cold as a moonless night in winter. John and the other members froze where they were behind the table. "What is…" John didn't finish as the two men standing before him suddenly disappeared.

_Hope you got your things together.  
Hope you are quite prepared to die.  
Looks like we're in for nasty weather.  
One eye is taken for an eye. _

_Don't go around tonight,  
Well, it's bound to take your life,  
There's a bad moon on the rise. _

It didn't take long for the Council to realize what was happening. John watched in a state of shock as two members' heads seemed to twist violently by themselves. The sound of bones snapping echoed in the room and the two bodies fell in a dead heap to the floor. The others tried to make their escape but Darien and Ed had effectively cut them off and broke their necks at lightning speed. John looked on unbelievably as one by one bodies fell to the floor. He stood stoically to accept his fate; he knew there was no escape and would be the last to die. The thought that lingered in his mind was that Lewis might be behind this. He knew that Lewis despised the High Council and had conspired against them on more than one occasion. Whatever Lewis did to Darien and Dr. Tate, he had turned them into efficient predators. If Lewis was the master mind, he had won. If not, then John could only hope that he would fall to the same fate as he. But in any case, he cursed Lewis with his last breath.

"Damn you, Lewis".

John Barrette, the leader of the High Council, quickly joined his dead comrades.

Mark and Shane had joined Tom, Hobbes and Ray on the hunt for Darien and Ed. After receiving the location from Eberts, they arrived at the new location of the High Council. But nothing could prepare them for what they were about to see. The two guards at the front door were dead and the doors were left wide opened. Tom and Hobbes slowly walked in with guns drawn. They walked slowly down the hall to the main chamber. It was quiet, way too quiet. Hobbes noticed the troubled look on Tom's face.

"What is it?" Hobbes asked.

"I don't sense anybody, human or dominant," Tom replied.

"Mmm…I'm guessing that's not a good thing," Hobbes retorted.

"No." Tom answered quickly.

Mark came up from behind them and opened the door. They walked in. "Holy…crap," Hobbes replied as he surveyed the damage. "I'd say they were here alright," he bent down and found the rope that loosely bound Ed's wrists next to a bloodied lab coat. "Climbing rope…probably Tate's."

Ray, Tom, Mark and Shane had split up to investigate the area. The bodies of the High Council were found lying on the floor at the back of the room. The table was in pieces along with the chairs and even the wall ornaments were destroyed. If Darien had wanted to leave a message that he didn't want anything to do with the dominants and their efforts for world domination, he left it loud and clear. He also made it clear not to get in his way.

Ray bent down to examine one of the bodies, "Neck is broken."

"So is this one." Mark added

"And this one," Shane said.

"They all had their necks broken," Tom said with certainty, "It's the dominant way of sending messages." He looked around the chamber and surveyed the damage. He had seen other dominants cause destruction but this was something they weren't used to. This time the damage was aimed at them.

Mark stood up, "Regardless of how we felt about the High Council, our people don't have leadership now." He shot Tom a concerned look. Shane looked at Tom for guidance. This would certainly cause chaos among them. There was no one to lead them.

Tom looked at them with a curved brow that highlighted the serious look on his face. He knew what they were thinking; he would have to claim his birthright as a Chosen and become the leader of his people.

Hobbes looked on in confusion. "I think we should concentrate on finding Fawkes and Tate right now," Hobbes interrupted as he walked around the room unaware of the grave situation they were in.

"Right," Tom said as he looked around trying to redirect his thoughts.

"Okay, so I take it then they're next target might be Lewis…not that I mind." Hobbes retorted.

"That would be my next guess." Tom bent down to pick up what remained of a wall decoration depicting the tattoo that was placed on the back of his right shoulder. "He was able to track him down one time, but I'm sure Lewis has moved on. He usually does after his whereabouts are known." Tom added still studying the broken design trying to figure out what it meant to his destiny.

The sound of a phone ringing gave them the much needed distraction. Hobbes pulled his phone from his pocket. Hobbes pulled his phone out of his pocket when it rang. "Hobbes…" He listened as Eberts informed him of what was going on. He wrote some information down and after a few moments Hobbes hung up with all eyes staring at him. "Okay, Fawkes' phone is off, which I'm not surprised. He must of turned it off shortly before arriving here. Walter tracked them down using his toys. I've got the coordinates, so let's get moving before they get too far ahead of us."

"What do we do? I mean, shouldn't we have a plan or something?" Shane asked.

Hobbes thought for a moment as a plan began to formulate in his mind. "When we do catch up to them, no matter what our plan is it may not work. So, here's the deal," Hobbes looked at Tom, "What ever happens make sure you shoot Tate. Fawkes will be expecting you to take him out, so this should confuse him," he handed Tom one of the tranq guns as he spoke. "This way it'll only leave Fawkes for us to contend with. You three can distract him and I'll do what I have to do to take him down. Between the five of us, we should be able to handle Fawkes. And remember don't think of nuthin' we're doin'. That'll tip him off and this whole thing is blown. Keep the goggles on so if they do their disappearing act we'll be able to see 'em."

They all looked at each other for a moment each trying to figure out a different plan. Ray broke the silence, "Let's do it."

"And if we fail?" Mark asked.

"Then the other Agency mooks will get 'em and the Fat Man will have a gland harvesting party. And I'm not 'bout to let that happen." Hobbes stated sternly as he started for the door. They had less than twelve hours to find Ed or else no matter what they do won't matter. The quicksilver gland would be harvested and so would the one in Darien.

_Don't go around tonight,  
Well, it's bound to take your life,  
There's a bad moon on the rise. _

TBC…


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

"So, bro, didn't I promise you a good time?" Darien asked as he drove his old blue car towards the outskirts of Los Angeles.

Ed turned and faced Darien with a roguish smile on his face. "Oh yeah," Ed looked out the window for a moment to watch the scenery rush by. A memory from the past swept through his mind.

He and Sloan sat on plush seats as the jet they were in raced over land to bring them back safely to Pasadena. Unseeingly out of nowhere, Attwood showed up to rescue them in the desert of Oaxaca when they where chased by dominants. Sloan was the first to speak up as Ed tried to sort out his confused thoughts about Walter.

"What the hell is this all about Walter? How did you find us?"

Walter sat on the arm of the chair across from them. "I've been tracking you since you left Van Nuys airport."Ed, disdainfully, looked at Walter. "Tracking us. In Mexico?"

"Through various means of surveillance, including satellite." Walter knew that the trust between him and his co-workers had become shaky. It would take some work now to regain that trust.

"Courtesy of the University?" Ed replied with a sneer.

"No. I work for the Federal government."

"Federal government?" Sloan asked as Ed turned his head away to avoid looking at Walter.

It came to Ed at this point that even though he had cut out his own monitor out with the installed tracking device, sooner or later, they would be caught. 'This isn't going to work, they'll still find us, if they haven't already,' he thought to himself

"Yeah, I know," Darien replied taking a quick glance at Ed who reacted to Darien's comment by turning his head slowly towards him.

Ed knew that Darien had read his mind. He paused for a moment waiting to see if Darien was going to continue. After a few seconds, Ed broke the heavy silence. "So, what do we do?"

Darien, keeping his focus on the road before him answered, "Kill Lewis, like we planned," he turned and looked at Ed, "Let's just enjoy ourselves while we still have the time." A mischievous smile spread across his face, "What'd you say? You with me?"

Ed thought for a few moments. They had already made their point with the High Council, and he still wanted to get his hands on Lewis. He shook his head to show his intent to join Darien in what ever plans he had. "Yeah…killing Lewis sounds good."

"Word."

Darien and Ed made fists with their hands and then tapped their knuckles together.

Sloan felt out of place and she was basically the support system right now. Now she wished she had majored in another science field too and not just bio-anthropology. She had made a fresh pot of coffee when Walter called her into his office and gave her the news. His words frightened her. Even Walter had said that he would have to go with the Official on harvesting the gland if Tom and Hobbes couldn't find Ed in time. He was just too dangerous and what he and Darien did proved it.

She walked over to where Claire worked steadfast with coffee for her and Tara. How was she going to tell Claire what happened? And ultimately, the fate that awaited Ed if Tom and Hobbes failed. But with the way she had been working these past few hours, she already knew.

With her golden hair pulled back into a ponytail, Claire peered into her microscope trying to concentrate on the job at hand. It was difficult knowing that Ed was out there somewhere and could possibly be permanent by now. But she had to try…just in case Hobbes brings him in. She looked up to see Sloan standing visibly shaken.

"What?" Claire asked nervously, fearing the worse…again.

"Walter got a call from Tom. They reached the High Council…they're all dead."

Tara came over and heard what Sloan said. She sat down slowly. The situation just became worse.

"What about Ed and Darien?" Claire asked.

Sloan shook her head, "They weren't there."

Claire sat silently for a moment and then spoke. "Hobbes will find them…he will…I know he will. I need to get back to work."

Tara and Sloan shot each other a worried glance. They hoped that Claire wasn't setting herself for disappointment. There had been so many close calls that eventually, something terrible would happen and this might be that time.

This was new to Tara…faith and trust. Faith and trust in others around you. Chameleons were trained not to trust or have faith in others. They were on their own and had no one to trust in for back-up. It was just one and only one for each mission. Even as a Chameleon in the science field, it was just her. She decided to try and put faith in the man she loved to do his job.

Sloan saw the papers in Tara's hand. "What are those?"

"Huh…oh these," Tara looked at the papers and stood up. "We already know that Ed is right about the connection between the toxin and the Limbic system." She walked over to Claire and sat down next to her. She spread out the papers. "We know that while he was at the lab every time he went into madness his dopamine levels went up from the increase of the toxin in his bloodstream. The toxin has the same kind of effect like cocaine or an amphetamine has on the dopamine release in the nucleus accumbens. Now, with my father's serum…it works in a similar way…it affects the frontal lobe area just like the toxin, but with a more controlled aggressive behavior and not like the violent tendencies of quicksilver madness. Dominants who have been injected with this serum don't remember anything from before, only what they've been trained to do. It's like programming a one-track mind assassin. It's supposed to suppress love, compassion and pity so that the Chameleon can succeed in his or her mission without the inner conflict that these human emotions bring. It also blocks certain functions of the brain like memory, like an amnesiac. Unfortunately, there are just some components in the serum that I'm not aware of, only my father knows what they are."

"Okay, so…what are we talking about here?" Sloan asked.

"A possible chemical overload that can happen at anytime or some type of reaction in the brain, especially if Ed quicksilvers and dumps more toxin into his system. Claire, even the counteragent might have an affect on the serum."

"I know…it's going to be like playing Russian roulette. There's just no way of telling how this will affect Ed in the short term or even the long term. I'll have to take my chances…with Ed's life."

There was a heavy silence in the lab. They all knew that what they were attempting to find out was impossible. Claire would be taking a chance in giving Ed counteragent, but if she didn't, he would die anyway. She had no choice but to take the chance.

Sloan decided it was time to keep the conversation going hoping to spark an idea on what they could come up with to save both men. "When Tom was injected with the serum I brought him back by reminding him of who he had become and that he loved me…was that some kind of dopamine reaction?" Sloan asked.

"Yes, apparently my father didn't expect the tegmental area of the Limbic system to fire off the pleasure response to your love for him that he felt. This helped him remember the enjoyment he had when he was with you…I can certainly identify with that." Tara looked at Claire distressed, "I'm sorry, Claire, I just don't know how this will affect Ed. There's no way of telling and we're short on time."

"I know, but I've got to figure out something…" Claire thought for a moment. "Okay, since we won't know how this affects Ed…" She paused again with a hint of despair on her face, "I can't even reproduce this scenario using one of Ed's monkeys or my lab rat because I don't even have a sample of his quicksilver to inject or the toxin…not to mention that we can't even reproduce the serum without knowing all the components…" She looked at the two women staring at her, "What do I do?"

"The only thing you can do…give Ed the counteragent and hope for the best." Tara said.

"As a scientist…that's not good enough," Claire stated strongly and went back to work even if it may appear to be unsuccessful.

Lewis stood at his window overlooking the massive swimming pool where Romanesque statues of half naked women stood guard over the crystal blue water that sparkled in the sunlight. He had heard from Darien earlier and so far things were going as planned. Darien was bringing him a gift…Dr. Ed Tate. He smiled as he held up the syringe containing the dominant changing DNA serum. This time, there would be no more delay, no more elaborate scheming, this time he would just do what he should have done a long time ago. He would inject Ed with the serum and alter his DNA. It was risky, not all conversions were successful, but now it was beyond taking a risk. One way or another, Ed would either be turned or die.

His thoughts were interrupted when Tabitha came running in. "You have to leave! Now!"

He turned to glance at her puzzled, "What?"

"It's Darien…he killed the High Council and is on his way here." Tabitha was out of breath as she spoke.

"What? How do you know?"

"James, he had visited the High Council and saw Tom with Darien's partner…"

"Wait…did you say Darien's partner…Agent Hobbes…" Lewis froze for a moment. This news was not good at all. An irritated look spread across his face. "If Tom was with Agent Hobbes then Darien did not give Tom the serum." Lewis moved from the window to the center of the room where Tabitha stood, "He must have given the serum to someone else. I doubt even he could have assassinated the entire Council by himself."

"He does have abilities even greater then the progenies."

Lewis was silent for a moment. Tabitha could be right; Darien was different even from the progenies. "Did James say if he saw Darien?"

"No, only that he saw Tom leave with Agent Hobbes and three other men."

"I'm sure one of them is Mark Ward." He paused in heavy thought and after a moment of silence, he came to his decision. "Okay, I'll go."

"Good, I'll stay and find out what's going on. If Darien is after you he won't hurt me."

Lewis put his hand to her cheek, "Just be careful. Darien, unfortunately, has proved to be more than we can handle. I may need to call on someone special who can eliminate him, a progeny to defeat a progeny."

"Well, what did he say?" Hobbes questioned as he drove his beat up tan van towards Lewis' newest hideout.

Tom turned his attention to Hobbes, "Walter said that according to satellite images, Darien's car is near the house. We're about thirty minutes away."

"Thirty minutes too far," Hobbes noted in a tone marked with gravity.

Tom had taken the time to explain the complex nature of the situation that Darien and Ed had put them in. Not that it was their fault, but clearly Lewis had intended on using Darien in some way to gain control of the High Council. Tom suspected that Lewis didn't realize that Darien would not respond positively to the serum. Without a doubt Lewis' plan had back fired in a major way.

Tom was now in a position where he had to step up in a leadership role or else his people may fall into chaos or worse…civil war. It was time for the Council of the Chosen to form. Maybe that's what Kewley's Comet was supposed to represent. Not a catastrophe like they had originally thought, but a calling, a calling of the Chosen to come together. But why didn't it happen? Was it because of him and his so called betrayal? He would have to find out and maybe if they could get to Lewis in time, he could find the answer.

Darien stopped the car and glanced over at Ed, "You're ready for your next performance?"

"Yeah." A chuckle escaped Ed's lips, "You know, I used to think that kids who took drama in High School were just taking the easy way out and now look at me. Guess it all comes back at you in one way or another."

"I know what you mean."

Ed glanced at the house and a feeling of urgency came over him. He returned his attention back to Darien, "We better hurry; I have a bad feeling that they're close."

Darien nodded in agreement, "I do too." The two men stepped from the car. Darien grabbed Ed by his shirt and pulled him to the door. At the moment he was about to open the door he paused.

"What's wrong? We've got the wrong house?" Ed asked as he felt the pressure of Darien's grip release.

"No, it's the right house alright. Someone's home…but…" Darien glanced at Ed, "…it's not Lewis."

"Are you sure, I mean, maybe he's masking himself."

"Could be, but why? We're on the same side…or so he thinks. C'mon, let's see who's here and maybe we can find where Lewis is before the guys in white coats come to take us away."

Darien opened the door and they stepped inside. Italian tile graced the floor of the empty mansion. A huge crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling in the center of the sparse room. A staircase wove its way around the room and finishing off the look were sunburst style windows. Darien and Ed both whistled. "Man, this dude sure does love spacious mansions doesn't he?" Darien quipped.

"I wonder where he gets all the money to put down a cash payment for only six months," Ed said shaking his head. Their voices echoed in the room. "Well, who ever is here knows we're here now."

"They knew before we even stepped foot in the Clampett House." Darien turned to Ed, "Okay, I'm gonna go look for Lewis. So what I'm gonna do is tie you up to the staircase, don't worry, the ropes will be loose. I'll put a blindfold on you again to hide your eyes. I can't leave you here just standin' around, so we need to make this look good." Darien paused and looked at Ed. He really didn't want to leave him so vulnerable even if the ropes weren't that tight. "Maybe I should go take care of that other dominant first."

"No, it's okay, I can handle the dominant, just find Lewis and leave a piece for me."

"You got it, bro." Darien proceeded to tie Ed to the banister. His arms were pulled up over his head and then his feet were tied together. For the finishing touch, Darien ripped off a piece of Ed's shirt and wrapped the fabric around his eyes. "Okay, now look beaten, like at the High Council." Darien watched as Ed lowered his head so his chin nearly touched his chest. He breathed deeply through his mouth and slouched as much as he could. Darien smiled, "Man, you should be an actor too, you're good at this."

"Just don't take too long, my arms will get tired."

"Don't worry, I'll be quick." Darien hurried up the stairs to start investigating the rooms.

Tabitha came around the corner when she sensed that the human was left alone. So, Darien hadn't given the serum to Tom. Did he give it to the human? She needed to find out if this was a set up or not. From the signature of the human, she knew it was Ed Tate. And when she saw him tied to the staircase, a playful smile spread across her face. "Aww…Lewis left me a birthday present. I've always wanted a male human pet."

Ed slowly raised his head. "I'm no pet," Ed hissed through his teeth.

"Ah, but you see, we are the dominant species and sooner or later, humans will have to submit." Tabitha sauntered over to him. She wanted to have some fun with him.

"I don't know what games you like to play in your private life, but BDSM isn't my thing…cause frankly, I'm not the submissive type."

"You never know until you try." She knelt down next to him on one of the steps.

Ed shook his head, "You're really demented you know that?"

"C'mon, you might enjoy it, you're already tied up so you're halfway there. Besides, I'm sure you'll enjoy having me as your owner after all, we've had fun before."

"What are you talking about?"

"Let me remove your blindfold so you can see better."

Ed's brows curved, now it was his turn to have some fun. "That would be nice. I always like looking into peoples' eyes when I talk to them."

Tabitha leaned over and removed the blindfold. Ed opened his eyes and she gasped. "Not what you were expecting is it?"

"NO…ah…" she paused and searched him deeply. "You're different somehow…like Darien…" She thought back to Darien's signature and it dawned on her. "You have a gland," she said with a smile.

"I was wondering how long it would take for you to figure that out. I guess it does have something to do with the female pheromones."

"Yeah, I can sense it…how peculiar."

"Yeah, well, it's not so great; it does have a tendency to attract the wrong gender." Ed commented by tilting his head to one side.

"I can see where that would be a problem especially with dominant males. So, I take it then your eyes are that way because of the gland?"

"You got it, pretty cool huh?"

"How did you get one? I thought Darien was the only one who had a gland."

"Well, he was and how I got one is a rather long story."

"You're not afraid are you?" She sensed no fear in Ed.

"Hell no, I feel great." A puzzled look came across Ed's face. He gazed at her studying her face. She did look familiar to him, but from where? "Do I know you?"

"That's not the right thing to say to someone you slept with. But since it was a long time ago, I'll forgive you." She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer. Just before their lips met, she whispered, "Perhaps I can help you remember." Their lips met in a passionate kiss. After a few moments they broke the kiss to get some air. Tabitha twirled the curls on the back of Ed's neck with her fingers. "Now do you remember the first time we met?"

Ed paused as he searched his mind for the memory. As he started to remember his lips curved upward slowly. She saw it and purred into his ear, "So, you do remember me?"

"Yeah…" Ed said as he smiled in a predatory way. He remembered the first time they met. He had just completed his two years at NIAD with Dr. Copeland and was on his way to Whitney University to get his Ph.D. in bio-anthropology. Much to the dismay of Dr. Copeland who as it turned out wanted to keep his eye on this brilliant young doctor soon to be scientist. He had tried in vein to change Ed's mind fearful that someday somehow, Ed might find out the truth. He was half right; it would be Ed's colleague, Dr. Sloan Parker, who would eventually find out about the new species.

Ed decided to go surfing one day with his friends to relax before heading off to continue his studies. They surfed for sometime before deciding to head back to shore. And that's when he noticed her on the beach. Their eyes had met as he walked by and he couldn't keep his eyes off the well tanned, toned body that lay on the towel. As he walked by he heard her say, "Very nice."

One of Ed's friends nudged him, "Hey, man, that wahine digs you. You should go over there and ask her out or something."

Ed placed his board up against the palm tree as he stared her. She was obviously very interested in him as she had kept her eye on him too. He turned to face Tony, "Wish me luck."

"No luck needed, bro. She wants you." Tony remarked as they slapped their hands and then grasped their fingers together to shake.

Tabitha saw the smile on Ed's face and knew that he was revisiting the memory in his mind. She ran her hands down his chest and stopped at his pectoral muscles, "Hmmm…and I see you're still keeping yourself in shape. I wonder if the rest of you is still the same."

"What was I to you?" Ed asked as he stared at the brunette.

Tabitha smiled as she straddled his hips, "You were a mission."

"A mission? You were supposed to kill me or something?"

"No, just keep an eye on you."

"Ah…so you were spying on me in my own bed."

"Yes," her hands trailed down to the hem of his shirt. Her hands snaked underneath and with delicate fingers she traced the lines of his abs. "Hmmm…just like I remembered." With seductive eyes she looked at him, "Dr. Copeland had said you could be useful to us, that maybe with his prodding that he might turn you into a collaborator." Her hands slowly moved up to his chest.

"So, why did you leave?"

"My mission was over. We got what we needed and you would be watched from a distance."

"I see…like Sloan was Tom's mission, I was your mission…nothing more."

"Yeah, but the difference was, Tom was supposed to kill Sloan. I was supposed to come back into your life and try to persuade you to join us. But things moved to fast, Dr. Copeland took you to Alaska and the plan fell apart from there. We knew then that you would not betray your species. You made that clear to Dr. Copeland. Lewis tried on many occasions to get you to join us." Tabitha ran her hands across his pectorals, "You would make him so angry. He's never failed so many times before as he had with you. He wanted to know what it was about you that he couldn't beat." Her fingers traced over his nipples causing him to release a deep groan from his throat.

Ed regained his composure. "Like when a team loses to the same team year after year. It's comforting to know that I caused Lewis such great headaches."

"You did more than you know." She leaned against his body as she purposely moved her hips in circles over his groin, "Do you remember when we made love? How our bodies moved together?"

As her words echoed in his mind, there was only person he was thinking about underneath his body. In his mind he could feel how her body surrounded him as she straddled his hips when they shifted positions. He pictured his hands on her hips helping her to move up and down as he thrust his hips upwards, meeting her downward movements in an erotic dance of love making. He thought about how her hair felt as he ran his fingers through the golden hair that cascaded around her shoulders. The thoughts of making love to the one woman deep down inside he still loved sent a burning desire to his groin. Not even in the deep clutches of quicksilver madness was his love for Claire taken away.

Tabitha could feel Ed reacting to her words. "I knew you would remember."

Ed quicksilvered the ropes and broke them easily. He wrapped his arms her. Tabitha jumped at the sudden sensation of his tight grip. "Next time, use stronger ropes."

"I'll make a note of that."

Ed stood with her in his arms and he turned her around so she was facing the wall. He held her close to his body. She leaned her head back as he nuzzled her neck. His left hand crossed in front of her to grip her right shoulder and his right hand crossed his left arm to grip the left side of her head as her chin rested in the crook of his arm. With him kissing her neck delicately she didn't realize what he was about to do until it was too late. "Not this time sweetheart." With one strong twist, her neck was broken. He let her go and watched her body fall to the floor, "It wasn't you I was thinking of."

Darien walked in and smirked, "I couldn't have done that better myself." He also sensed the strong sexual desire in Ed and it wasn't for Tabitha. 'He could have all the women he wants but he still wants Keepie,' he thought to himself as he strode confidently across the room.

Completely ignoring the growing need that had started to build in one particular area of his body, Ed turned his head and looked at Darien, "Did you find him?"

"Nah, the bastard took off. He must have found out what we did to the High Council." Darien motioned to Tabitha's body lying in heap on the floor by Ed's feet, "Somehow she knew and warned him."

"Damn, I killed her too soon, we could've found out where he's hiding," Ed said smacking himself mentally.

"It wouldn't have mattered; she didn't know, she was a decoy so that he could have enough time to get a head start." Darien suddenly motioned to the front door with a quick glance of surprise.

"What is it?"

"They're here."

Ed looked at Darien for guidance and Darien shook his head, "We don't have the element of surprise. If I know they're here, they know we're here and they'll have thermals." He could sense Tom, Shane and Mark along with Hobbes and Ray. This time it would be different than with the High Council.

"So, what's the plan?"

"Fight till the last man is standing."

The sound of a helicopter made both men look up towards the ceiling. Ed had a worried look on his face, "It just keeps getting worse, looks like the Calvary is here too."

"Yeah, and the question is which Fat Man sent them," Darien noted.

"A helicopter? I'd put my money on Walter." Ed glanced at Darien. "Is he in it?"

"We'll soon find out. You ready?"

"Yeah."

"Hey, I know this is going to sound corny and all, but for all it's worth, this has been one hell of a ride."

Ed smiled and chuckled, "We sure did raise some hell."

"Yep, couldn't have done it without ya…" he shook Ed's hand, "See you on the other side, bro."

"Which ever side that might be," Ed commented as he let the quicksilver flow.

TBC…


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Hobbes glanced up towards the sky when he heard the familiar rhythmic hum of the motor turning blades in the air. The helicopter was approaching quickly, too quickly for comfort. "This can't be good. Can you tell who's in it?"

"No, not yet." Tom answered worriedly. If it was the other agents that the Official sent then they needed to get Darien and Ed in their custody before they do.

Hobbes studied the mansion, "He can afford something like this?"

"Yes. Lewis has more money than we can ever imagine." Tom, with a curved brow searched the inside of the house. He felt the presence of a dominant and a human. With a slight nod of his head he communicated that Darien and Ed were inside. He motioned for Ray and Hobbes to follow Mark through the front door while he and Shane covered the back.

Ray and Hobbes followed Mark inside wearing the thermal glasses. They searched the first floor following Mark's commands. Ed would easy to sense, but Darien would be a different story.

"Are you picking up any signals?" Hobbes asked as he scanned the area for any green life forms.

"They're here…look," Mark motioned towards the stair case. Hobbes and Ray glanced at the body of a female lying on the floor as they removed the goggles.

"I don't even have to check to know that her neck's broken," Hobbes stated.

"Yeah, I've seen this a lot myself," Ray noted. "And according to the description I got from the bartender, this is the woman that met up with Fawkes."

"Guess he decided to take her out," Hobbes said looking around.

"Or it was Ed," Mark stated. Hobbes and Ray both shook their heads in agreement.

"I think you're right," Hobbes bent down to inspect the area when something caught his eye. He held up more rope, "Any guesses who was tied up here. Looks like they tried to trick Lewis with the same gag..." Hobbes rose to his feet and repositioned the goggles.

Shane and Tom had made it to the back of the house. The helicopter landed and men in combat gear jumped out followed by Walter. Tom yelled back to him, "Give me time, Walter. You owe them that much."

Walter nodded and told the Official's men to stand by. He looked at his watch, "You've got fifteen minutes."

Shane looked at Tom apprehensively, "They're not going to make it are they?"

"Yes, they will, we need to work fast." He motioned to the thermal glasses in Shane's hand, "Put those on, and don't try to take them on by yourself."

Shane shook his head as he put on the glasses. They entered the back of the house with stealth like abilities of lions on the hunt. But the difference this time is they weren't hunting defenseless game. They were looking for an angry pair of lions who were now cornered. And that made for a dangerous mission in itself.

Ed and Darien watched through one of the upstairs windows. "Well, looks like the eagle has landed and it's Walter," Ed commented.

"Yeah, but those are the Official's men." Darien glanced at Ed, "Ready?"

Ed shook his head slightly, "Yeah. Let's get this over with."

Mark walked up to Tom, "We found a body by the stairs. Ray thinks it's the woman that Fawkes was talking to in the bar. Darien and Ed are upstairs. And Darien isn't even bothering to mask himself."

Tom glanced around to the others. "I know, which means at the moment he rather fight like a predator." He let a heavy breath before continuing. "We've got another problem; Walter is here with men from the Agency. We've got fifteen minutes to get Darien and Ed in custody."

"Then let's cut the chit chat and do it." Hobbes said sternly. "Failure is not an option here gentlemen. Those two maybe lunatics right now, but they're our own."

"You heard the man, let's find them," Shane stated.

The men stepped over the body and headed up the stairs. When they had reached halfway up, Tom, Shane and Mark glanced up suddenly. Through the thermals, they saw two green figures rushing at them at lightning speed from the top of the stairs. "Oh crap", Hobbes exclaimed as he was mowed over like a bowling pin and sent tumbling down the stairs. There was a loud popping sound when his shoulder hit a step and forced it out of the socket. The dart gun flew from his hand and tumbled down the steps until it came to rest on the floor. He let out a moan when he finally reached the floor next to the body. His hand immediately went to his right shoulder and he groaned, "Just friggin' great."

Tom had managed to grab onto the railing and prevent himself from falling. He watched as Shane, Mark and Ray met a similar fate as Hobbes did. Mark had managed to stop his fall and slowly rose to his feet. Mark fixed the glasses and watched helplessly as the two green figures ran from the house towards the backyard. "Damn, they're headed towards the back," Mark shouted as he started his pursuit.

"Damnit, Fawkes, you're headed straight for a trap," Hobbes muttered in annoyance at the kid's ability to always run straight into trouble. He got to his feet quickly and grabbed his trang gun with his left hand. "No time for pain, no time for pain," he repeated to himself as a mantra to keep his mind on the job at hand.

Mark and Tom reached the bottom of the stairs and were right behind Hobbes. Ray helped Shane to his feet as he mumbled, "I'm gettin' too old for this."

Hobbes eyed the green figures run along side the pool. He didn't know who was who but it was too late for that. He raised the dart gun, aimed and fired.

_POP_

A piercing pain raced through Ed's back that caused him to stumble. "Ow…shit…" he stopped running and reached out to hold onto one of the statues for support. The sedative was already working and he could barely stand. Darien stopped and turned to look at his hapless partner in crime. "Run!" Ed shouted as best he could. But Darien was never one to follow orders; he raced back to Ed's side.

He took Ed into his arms and they both sank to the patio. "I'm not leaving you." The quicksilver flaked off of both men. "We go down together," Darien said as he watched Ed fall into unconsciousness. He looked up and saw Tom standing in front of him with the dart gun aimed at him. "Protect him," Darien said. Tom promised by nodding in agreement. He heard the sound of the dart gun and then felt the sting of the dart embedding itself into the muscle just below his shoulder. He glanced down at the sleeping form in his arms, "See ya." His world quickly faded and then turned black. He fell sideways smacking his head against the pebbled deck beside the pool.

"Crap!" Hobbes hollered when he heard the sound. He rushed to Darien's side. "Someone give me a shirt or something!" He commanded urgently. Shane took his jacket off and helped Hobbes put it gently under Darien's head. Hobbes looked at Tom who was already notifying Walter that they not only had Ed and Darien in custody but they may also have an emergency.

Mark and Ray helped pull Ed off to the side. "Damn, for such a thin guy he sure is heavy," Ray complained.

"He is deceptively strong," Mark added remembering the past five years since he's known Ed. He's also seen Ed's agility at work on more than one occasion, which he attributes to the scientist's surfing and rock climbing hobbies.

Tom put his phone away and knelt down across from Hobbes, "Are you okay?"

"I'll be fine, this is nothing." Hobbes glanced at Tom, "I was in Desert Storm you know."

Tom looked at Darien. He knows how close they are and the last thing he wanted to do was to hurt Darien. "I'm sorry."

"Not your fault," Hobbes reassured Tom. "Besides, the kid's got a hard head."

Walter and the Agency squad showed up with guns drawn towards the two unconscious men. "Hey, holster the heat, we got 'em!" Hobbes looked up at Walter, "You better be here to help them."

Walter pulled out a syringe, "I am."

They all watched as Walter cleaned an injection site and inserted the needle into one of Ed's veins. He pressed down the plunger sending the counteragent rushing through Ed's system. Hobbes gazed at Walter quizzically, "I thought Keepie was going to do that."

Walter glanced over at Hobbes, "We wouldn't have enough time. Claire wasn't sure if this was even going to be enough, but it was the best she could do in a hurry." Walter checked Ed's eyes and nearly fell back. He had never seen Ed this way before.

"I know, it takes some gettin' used to, in fact, I never got used to it." Hobbes noted.

"It didn't work, his eyes are still…"

"…Freaky…yeah I know, it takes some time." Hobbes looked down at Darien, "We better get these two back to the Keep."

"We're not going to the Keep."

"Whoa…hold on a minute here, just where do you plan on taking them?" Hobbes asked angrily. Even with a dislocated shoulder he would fight to protect them.

"Don't worry, Claire is going to meet us at Fort Leavitt Hospital. She feels more comfortable having Ed and Darien there then at the lab. We'll go in the helicopter. We can get there faster. And I'd say that you need some medical assistance too."

A short time later, the helicopter took off with Ed and Darien on board along with Hobbes. Walter and Tom accompanied them back on the helicopter. Tom had made a promise to Darien and he was going to keep his word. But, he would keep his eye on Darien as well. Ray, Mark and Shane stayed behind to search the mansion for anything that Lewis may have left behind even though they seriously doubt it.

Claire, Sloan and Tara waited breathlessly for the helicopter to land. When she heard from Walter she couldn't get out to the landing pad at the hospital quick enough. For minutes she searched the skies and listened. The minutes ticked away like hours. Sloan finally looked at her, "They'll be here. Walter said he gave Ed the counteragent and it had started to work."

With her hand above her eyes to block out the sun, Claire responded, "That's not what I'm concerned about."

For what seemed like an eternity, she finally caught sight of the helicopter. She pointed towards it, "There they are!" They waited until it landed and for the signal from the pilot that it was safe to come near. The doors opened and Tom appeared with Walter behind him. Walter motioned for them to come. Claire took off with orderlies pushing two gurneys behind her.

Hobbes hopped off with his arm wrapped tightly against his chest. Claire rushed to his side, "Let me see that."

"Its okay, one of the other docs is going to look at me. You need to help Fawkes and Tate." Hobbes reassured her that he was fine and walked off with an orderly.

Claire checked Ed and his eyes had already returned to normal. But because of the sedative he was still unconscious. His pulse and breathing appeared to be normal. She checked Darien's head wound and found that it wasn't serious but she would still keep her eye on him for a possible concussion.

Ed and Darien were loaded onto the gurneys and rushed inside. Ed was taken to one room while Darien was taken to a more secure location. The Official was standing outside the room and ordered Darien to be restrained. Claire shot him a glare but understood. Until he wakes up he would have to be considered dangerous.

She turned to Tara, "Under the circumstances, if Darien wakes up I'd rather have you in the room running scans on him. Oh and have Darcy on stand-by. If Sloan was able to bring Tom back, we may need her to do the same for Darien. She's his only hope right now. I'm going to run tests on Ed…"

"I can't have you do that doctor and you know it," The Official stated in his usual gruff manner.

Claire stood toe to toe with him. "You know I'm the only with the necessary clearance. So, don't get in my way." She stormed off before the Official could say anything more. Deep down he knew that she was right. He would barely let the doctor do an exam on Darien on he caught that flu from Arnaud. This time, he would have to let her do what she does best. He turned and looked at Walter.

"You know, you play the bad cop well," Walter stated.

"Someone has to." The Official turned and walked away.

An hour later, Claire continued to go over results at a maddening pace. She was like a blonde tornado zipping around between two rooms. For the past twenty minutes or so, Ed had been trying to fight off the effects of the sedative. His eyes moved but he just couldn't get the lids opened. Every time Claire would encourage him to open his eyes, he would let out a soft groan.

Claire dashed back into Ed's room after checking on Darien. She walked quickly to his side carrying some more printouts when he moved. "Hey, sweetheart, can you open your eyes for me?"

Ed groaned.

"That's not the answer I'm looking for. I know you can do it." She watched his eyes flutter and then open slightly. "That's it, hon, you can do it…try harder."

He could hear her calling to him, but her voice sounded so far away. It was more like the sound of the waves crashing onto the shore when he holds a shell up to his ears. He tried with all his might to open his eyes but he just couldn't. Like that state when he's stuck between sleep and awake. What do they call that anyway? He was tired…so tired…but from what? He heard her calling to her again. This time instead of opening his eyes, he called back.

"Claire?" His voice was raspy from being in such a deep sleep. Between the time zone difference flying to and from Scotland, all the trouble he went through there and now this, she was amazed that he was even trying to wake up at all.

"Yes, hon, it's me. I'm here." She squeezed his hand and found it to be cold…too cold for Ed. She checked his forehead for the temperature strip and it showed that his body temp was a little low. She got up and reached for another blanket. Hospitals are notorious for being cold and a military one is no different. She placed the blanket on him and sat back down again. "Are you going to show me those beautiful brown eyes of yours?"

Ed groaned and again his eyes lids fluttered. His eyes opened and he blinked wildly at the bright lights, he shut them quickly. Claire patted his hand, "You rest some more and I'll be back." She left his side and continued to look over the results. So far, all seemed well with the gland and with him as well. She let out a sigh, "We'll stay here for 24 hours just to make sure." She left to go back and check on Darien.

Darien meanwhile had not woken up at all or even attempted it. This was a concern to Claire as she checked his vitals. "Hmmm…your vitals are strong so why aren't you waking up?" She turned to Darcy, "Do you sense anything?"

"He's just having weird dreams, but I don't know what they are."

Claire glanced back at Darien, "Well, that's not unusual for him."

"How's Ed?"

"He's trying to wake up, but he's so tired. The trip, being QSM and the sedative has really taken a lot of him. But so far the gland appears to be doing well. I'm going to keep him here for another 24 hours for observation." She paused as she studied the unconscious lanky form on the bed, "But Darien, I'm worried. He should have at least tried to wake up by now."

Another hour had passed, Ed had finally had been able to open his eyes and keep them open for more than three seconds. Claire asked him a battery of questions. "Do you remember what happened?"

Ed searched his thoughts for a moment as if trying to get his bearings in his own mind. "Ahh…I remember being dropped off at the Agency…going up stairs to the lab…and a ringing sound…like a telephone…" he looked at Claire with tired eyes, "…that's all I can remember. What happened?"

"Well, uhm…"

"Claire, please…just tell me."

"Somehow Darien was injected with Lewis' mind control serum. He came after us…but he didn't hurt us. He tricked you and gave you an injection that was meant for Tom."

Ed turned his gaze away. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. Claire continued. "For some reason it sent you straight into stage five madness…"

"What?" Ed exclaimed in shock.

"You were in stage five madness. You cut your monitor out and you and Darien went to…" she stopped. She wasn't sure if she should continue.

Ed glared at her, "Claire, tell me…what did we do?"

"The High Council…Ed…you and Darien killed them."

Ed's face turned pale. "Honey?" Claire asked as he sat in a trance like state. What she had told him was sinking in.

"I don't remember…" he looked at her, "I don't remember any of it."

"That might be because of the amnesia causing components of the serum."

"Well, that's good news…I guess." Ed leaned back on the bed. He stared up at the ceiling.

"Sweetheart, I want to keep you here over night. To make sure the gland is okay."

He shot his head up instantly, "What do you mean, to make sure the gland is okay?"

"Well, we're not really sure how the serum would react in a human mind let alone one with a gland. It's just a precaution." Claire held his hand. She watched him settle back down.

"How's Darien?"

"He hasn't woken up yet."

"Can I see him?"

"Do you feel up to it?"

"Yeah, for some reason I need to check on him. I don't know why…maybe because…oh this is going to sound stupid…"

"Try me," Claire answered with a smile.

"I think he was calling me…while I was asleep…" he noted the odd look on her face, "I told you it was stupid."

She patted his hand, "He might have been, I can't tell you if he was or not." She stood up, "Let's go see Darien. I don't know, maybe if he hears your voice he'll wake up."

"Look, Claire, if he doesn't wake up for Darcy, he won't wake up for me."

"He might need to know that you're okay, from what I understand he was worried about you. He asked Tom to protect you. He may think you're dead and is keeping himself in a self imposed coma of some kind no matter how many times Darcy may tell him you're fine. He may need to hear your voice. Look, we both don't understand how a dominant mind completely works let alone one that was once human."

"Yeah, maybe you're right."

"Let me get you a wheelchair."

Ed's face turned sour, "Do you have to?"

"Hospital rules. Besides, you've been through a lot."

A few moments later, Claire wheeled Ed into Darien's room. He was strapped down and this caused a frown to appear on Ed face. It bothered him to see Darien like this. He hoped that Darcy could help him once he wakes up. Claire stopped and Ed got up to walk on his own. His legs wobbled a bit, but he made it. He pulled up a chair and sat down. "Hey, Darien…" he shook his head. For some reason he felt silly, but he continued anyway. "…just thought I'd let you know that I'm okay. You can wake up now…Darcy is here and she's waiting for you." Ed sat silent for a few moments. He glanced at Claire and Darcy as he shrugged his shoulders. They encouraged him to keep talking.

"I don't remember anything that happened or what we did…and I don't blame you. You didn't know what you were doing. So…" Ed glanced down at the floor and tried to think of something else to say and then it dawned on him. "You know, you have to wake up so we can have our weekly poker night. It won't be the same without you." Ed let out a soft chuckle, "I'm sure it's hard for you to keep yourself from reading our minds…but you, Tom, Mark and Shane definitely have an advantage over Hobbes, Ray and me."

A soft moan escaped Darien's lips.

"He's coming around," Ed said in a satisfied tone. Claire wore a relieved expression as she and Darcy walked over. Darien opened his eyes and stared at first as his eyes tried to focus. He had a confused expression on his face.

"Darien, you're okay…" Ed said trying to comfort Darien. "…you just got a bump on your head."

"Huh? Me? Darien? No, you're Darien…And what happened to your hair?"

Ed looked at Claire concerned, "Maybe he does have a concussion or a bolt loose." He turned his attention back to Darien, "Ah no, I'm Ed, remember?"

"Wait, you can't be Darien…I'm...." Darien stopped realizing that even he was confused.

"What's the last thing you remember?" Ed asked.

"I was writing a note to Darien after I gave myself the peptide shot…"

Claire's eyes widened, "Oh bloody hell!" she exclaimed.

"What am I doing back?" Darien asked as he tried to move. "And why am I restrained?"

"Okay, did I just enter the twilight zone?" Ed asked.

Claire covered her head with her hand as she wore an exasperated expression on her face, "No, Ed, this is Kevin, Darien's older brother."


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Claire's sudden revelation of what was actually wrong with Darien sucked the air out of the room. Ed looked up at Claire with distant eyes as he tried to order his thoughts.

"Say what?" Darcy exclaimed in shock to break the heavy silence.

"How? I mean, I thought the report said the peptide solution washed out the memory RNA," Ed said finally.

"I was afraid of this." Claire looked at Ed dismayed. She had wondered for a long time if the peptide had worked. There had been no signs of Simon Cole or Kevin Fawkes sense the shots were administered. But Kevin had given himself the shot and not her; she had only her tests to rely onto tell her if the peptide shot had done what it was designed for. Apparently something had gone wrong.

"Who are you again and why in God's name do you look like Darien?"

Ed and Claire gazed at each other with concern on their faces. "Oh, boy," they said in unison.

Darcy looked at the man that was her husband but apparently his mind was someone else…her dead brother-in-law. 'What would Dr. Phil say about this one?' she thought candidly to herself.

"Dr. Phil? Who's Dr. Phil?" Kevin asked perplexed.

Claire and Ed turned and shot Kevin bewildered looks. "Dr. Phil?" Claire asked.

"Yeah," Kevin stated sternly.

"Who said anything about Dr. Phil?" Ed asked with a hint of annoyance in his tone. A dull ache had started to make its presence known and he quickly brushed it off to being a normal headache.

Kevin glanced at Darcy and he pointed to her, "She did."

"Whoa…wait a minute…I didn't say anything about Dr. Phil out loud, I just mentioned him as a passing thought," Darcy answered.

Ed closed his eyes in frustration, "Oh man."

Kevin looked at Claire intently, "What is going on here?" There was strong conviction behind Kevin's question.

Ed let out a long cleansing sigh as he prepared himself to tell Kevin the truth. "Okay, Kevin…here goes. A colleague of mine discovered a new species of man…"

"A new species? Why that's…" Kevin paused and stared unemotionally at Ed.

A chill ran up Ed's spine from the cold stare he was getting from Kevin. It was nearly predator in nature. He began to become nervous sitting so close to someone who could easily break his neck…over Claire. He hoped that the male dominant instinct wouldn't kick in sending him and Kevin into a fight for Claire. Kevin had once been in love with Claire and he could see easily see Ed as a threat to his territory.

"Wait…I've heard of this…on the radio…I thought it was a joke like with the Martians invading on Halloween." He looked at Ed, felt his fear. 'He's afraid of me…he and Claire…in love…no…I love her…' Anger began to rise in him as he thought about this Darien look alike with the woman he still loved. Sensing that Kevin's uncontrolled dominant instinct was about to kick in, Darcy stepped up to redirect him.

"Kevin, I'm Darcy, Darien's wife."

"His wife? Darien?" He glanced at her and smiled, "You're pregnant too…and how do I know that?" He glanced at Ed and Claire for answers.

Claire pulled up a chair and sat down next to Ed. She glanced quickly at Ed with troubled eyes and then turned her attention to Kevin. "There's something we need to tell you."

Ed began the long arduous explanation of what had happened to Darien. Kevin listened intently to the words but found it increasingly difficult to concentrate. There were so many unfamiliar feelings that he had trouble trying to control. He could sense people walking down the hall, emotions, thoughts…it was all crashing down on him at one time.

"Can you change him back?" Kevin asked to quiet the noise in his mind.

"Yeah, I can. I discovered a way to alter the 1.6% differential to the human 1.1, but…" Ed was interrupted by Kevin's outburst.

"Arnaud!" Kevin glanced angrily at Claire as her thoughts invaded his mind. "How could you give him the cure without doing tests first!?!"

Claire rose to her feet, "If you had given me a way to take the gland out I wouldn't have been put in the position to save Darien's life before I had a chance to run tests! He had become immune to the counteragent, Kevin, and I was running out of time. The Official was going to harvest the gland once Darien went permanent. I risked my career for him. I went against orders!"

"Wait, you mean, Charlie didn't want Darien to have the cure?"

Claire crossed her arms, "Yes, that's right. I had no choice, Kevin. But you did and you chose to give yourself the peptide shot instead of telling me how to remove the gland. How could you do that to your own brother?"

Ed glanced over at Darcy during the verbal exchange with raised brows. He felt like he was in the middle of a family squabble and it made him uncomfortable. A slight twinge of pain forced his hand to the back of his head as his eyes squeezed shut. A low grunt escaped his lips as his face contorted in response to the pain.

The attention in the room turned to Ed. Kevin studied him quickly and knew he wasn't feeling well, "You better have Claire check that."

Claire shot Kevin a surprised glance and then looked at Ed. Ed in turn looked at Kevin and then looked up at Claire like he had been caught with his hand in the cookie jar. He knew he was in trouble. She had asked him to tell her when he wasn't feeling well. Claire stared down at him with her hands on her hips, "What's wrong?"

"I'm just getting a headache that's all," Ed motioned as he twirled his hand around his head, "It's nothing."

"Nothing?" An aggravated filled grunt from Claire echoed in the room. "Ed, I told you to tell me when you're not feeling well? I need to check that and run some scans." Claire picked up her phone to contact Tara.

Ed rolled his eyes, "C'mon, Claire, it's just a headache."

Claire glared at him, "Yeah, and what if it's not?" Claire paused as she contacted Tara and then glared at him again, "And you're a doctor too you should know better."

Kevin turned to face Ed, "You're a doctor?"

"Yeah," Ed answered rubbing his head as the pain subsided.

Kevin looked at Darcy. "My brother actually got married…amazing." He turned his attention back to Ed, "It's remarkable…the resemblance. Are we family?"

"Ah, no…I ran some tests and we don't share the same mutation in the UEP in the DNA of the Y-chromosome. We come from different paternal and maternal lines."

"You do know your stuff, I'm impressed. But…" Kevin scrutinized Ed some more. Ed was beginning to feel like one of his samples being examined under a microscope. "…it's so strange hearing science talk coming from you. When I look at you I still see Darien."

Ed smiled, "Yeah, it's been interesting to say the least."

Kevin became serious, he was beginning to feel attracted to Ed. Ed looked at him suspicious, "What?"

"Don't take this wrong, but…I'm…this is strange…but I'm ah…feeling…something." Kevin felt awkward but he couldn't help but feel sexually attracted to Ed. But this was impossible; he's only attracted to women. How was this happening?

Darcy realized it when she sensed the strong emotion coming from Kevin. If another dominant male had entered the room, they both would have sensed the female pheromones and a battle for her attention would ensue. She giggled because Darien himself had gone through this with the others and then Ed went through it when he returned with a gland in his head. But after learning with Darien, they understood the situation and were able to suppress the desire but with Kevin, this was all new to him. Ed and Kevin both looked at her oddly. "I'm sorry, it's just so funny that it's happening again."

Ed shot her an irritated glance, "What is happening again?"

"You…and that gland…it's female remember…Kevin is getting a whiff of the pheromones it's sending out."

Claire returned in time to hear the conversation. "Just like with Darien and Bigfoot…" Claire noted the odd stare from Kevin, "It's a long story and I do want to talk you about that, but he did think Darien was a female because of the same thing…the female pheromones that the gland emits. Apparently dominants can not only pick up our neurological impulses but they can sense pheromones too, both male and female. You're picking up on the female pheromones that are coming from the gland in Ed."

Ed rolled his head back and groaned. It was happening again and it was becoming extremely annoying. Kevin looked at Ed in shock. "A gland? You mean a quicksilver gland?"

Claire walked towards Ed. "I'll explain that later, right now, I need to run some tests on you," she glanced at Ed. "Come on, Tara's waiting." She turned her attention to Kevin, "You might as well come too. We can let the others know what's going on and fill you in all at the same time." She looked at how pale Ed was getting, "I might need your help anyway."

Walter found the whole situation with Kevin interesting. Kevin knew about Walter and he wanted to talk to him about the QS 9300 Project, but for now, his attention was on finding what's happening to Ed. Sloan found it strange but after all the things she's seen, it didn't surprise her. Tom kept his eye on Kevin, like Darien, this was new to him and he would need guidance with being a dominant. Hobbes couldn't believe this was happening, "This just keeps getting worse." The Official wasn't pleased and had ordered Claire to come up with another peptide shot.

"You'll give it to him as soon as it's ready," the Official had ordered sternly.

"After we find out what's wrong with Ed." Claire had answered with strong conviction behind her words.

After the scans were taken and all the other questions answered, Kevin sat looking over some of the results as Ed rested on a bed. The headache had grown worse and medication was needed almost constantly. Kevin glanced over at him and decided to get to know him better. He got up and sat next to Ed with the papers in his hands.

"So, you married Claire?"

"Yes."

"And you're a scientist?"

"Yeah, a bio-anthropologist." Ed strained to concentrate on the conversation. He was at the point that even the lights bothered him. His eyes remained closed as they talked.

"I see."

"Look, I know about you and Claire."

"You do?"

"Yeah." Ed's fingers began to tingle and he began to rub his fingertips together.

"So, she married a scientist who looks like Darien…that kind of tells you something doesn't it?"

"Do we have to do this, Kevin?" Ed rubbed his head when he felt a mind numbing migraine coming on.

Kevin was about to answer when he sensed something from Ed, pain. Concern washed away any hints of jealousy. Kevin reached out his hand and gently put it on the man's shoulder, "It's getting worse."

Searing flashes of pain that resembled white lighting filled Ed's senses. His hands shot to his head and he cried out in agony. Kevin reacted quickly and stood up, "Hang in there."

All Ed knew was the pain, the pain that crackled in his ear like popcorn. Another wave of pain and his arms flopped to his side. He just lay there in an agonizing sea of pain unable to move.

"Oh crap!" Kevin rushed back to his side after calling Claire and bringing a syringe with him full of medication. He injected the contents into Ed's vein as Claire, Sloan, Tara and Walter rushed into the room.

"What happened?" Claire shouted as she stood by Ed's side checking his eyes.

"He's getting worse." Kevin shot a worried glance at Claire.

"The gland?" Claire said as if reading Kevin's mind.

"I'm afraid so...and I think something else might be wrong too," Kevin let a sigh. He knew this was bad, very bad. Tara sensed the urgency in his demeanor; he obviously knew something was terribly wrong. He ran a few quick reflex tests and Ed didn't react at all.

"That can't be good," Sloan commented.

"Paralysis." Kevin stated despondently.

Hours later, Kevin looked over the results of all the scans and the blood work-up. He paced around the room mumbling to himself. He stopped and looked at Claire despondently. The conclusion was something that Claire isn't going to like hearing. "Claire," he called out to her. She looked up at him from her mircroscope. "I know what's wrong."

"I don't like the look on your face," Claire stated.

"You won't like what I have to say either." He glanced down at the floor and then back to her again, "The gland…it's dying."

All the blood rushed from Claire's face. She stared across the room dully when she heard Kevin's words. The next thing she knew everyone was in the lab listening to Kevin give a run down on Ed's condition. She has no idea where the time went between Kevin telling her about the gland to the other's joining them. She glanced around the room but all she could do was keep her eyes on Ed. He's cheated death so many times, can he do it again?

"How did this happen?" Walter asked.

"I'm not sure, but it might have to do with whatever Darien injected him with. It caused some sort of break down on the molecular level. The drug may have acted like a poison…I just don't know for sure, but the important thing here is the cause. The bio part of the gland is breaking down which is causing the tendrils to pull away from the connection to the brain stem and the blood vessels. In other words, the tendrils are going through an atrophy stage. As they're drying up, they're pulling on the nerves and vessels Arnaud attached them to. The force on the nerves is causing the paralysis and the force on the blood vessels could cause something similar to an aneurism to occur at any time. "

"Well, what can be done for Dr. Tate?" The Official asked.

"I have no choice but to take the gland out."

"You can't, you'll kill him!" Claire stated sternly.

"Claire, he'll die if I don't. At least this way, he may have a fighting chance," Kevin added.

"A slim chance at that," Claire said folding her arms in front of her.

"At least it's a chance," Kevin paused. "Look I know how you feel…"

"No you don't! I won't let you touch him, not until we find a better way," Claire said.

"I think I might have a way," Tara said as she walked into the room.

All eyes turned to her. "It's radical, but it'll give him a fighting chance."

"And that would be?" Walter asked.

"We give Ed the dominant gene therapy." Tara waited for the onslaught of negative feedback. After the silence of everyone being stunned, she might as well have been hit with rotten tomatoes.

"What?" Claire asked in an alarming tone. She couldn't believe what Tara had just suggested.

"No, out of the question," Sloan protested.

Tara rolled her eyes. "Listen to me first okay…I ran some models…with Ed's human DNA he has no chance of survival, but with dominant DNA he has a fifty-sixty percent chance of survival." She looked around the room, "You want him to have a fighting chance don't ya? This will do it. This will give you the edge you need. Right now, his chance is what? Five percent? Don't you see the advantage we could give him? Then when he's out of danger you can give him his genogenesis therapy. He'll be back to human status in no time at all."

"Genogenesis therapy?" Kevin asked.

"Another long story," Tara retorted.

"I don't like it," Sloan said. "There's got to be another way."

"All I ask is that you consider it. But think about this as you discuss my proposal, Ed's dying." Tara said.

Claire shook her head, "I don't know, Tara. Darien went through an awful lot of pain during the conversion cycle. I just hate to put Ed through that right on top of what's happening to him now."

"I don't think he's feeling any pain right now." Kevin noted as he held up a set of EEG imaging scans. "He's paralyzed right now remember? I suspect that if we don't do something soon, his major organs could stop functioning too or as I stated earlier, he'll suffer a type of cerebral aneurism."

"If it becomes too much for him, we can keep him sedated. I've ran tests and it won't effect the conversion process." Tara added.

"Okay, now I need to know. What exactly happens during this conversion process?" Kevin asked.

"Well, the DNA is changed by gene splicing. The brain becomes smaller…"

"Wait…smaller?" Kevin asked.

"Yes, smaller."

"But that doesn't fit with the evolutionary process. The dominant brain should be bigger."

"Yes, that's true. The human brain is larger than that of the Neanderthals. But our brains are just more compact for better efficiency, thus the smaller size."

"Oh…" Kevin paused. He continued, "Smaller…I think I have an idea on how that can be an advantage. We need to figure out how to remove the gland safely while Ed is converting. That should be the best time to perform the procedure. How long will the conversion process take?"

"About six hours or longer. It depends on the person," Tara answered.

"Ed may not last that long." Kevin looked around the room, "We don't have a choice. Okay…let's get to work," he said.

Hobbes and Ray came in with some food and drinks. They put them down on the table and noticed, Kevin, Claire and Tara busy going over something on the laptop. They were obviously in a deep discussion about the procedure to remove the gland and at times visibly at a disagreement. Hobbes decided to go sit next to Sloan and Tom who were keeping an eye on Ed. "So, how's he doin'?" Hobbes asked as he pulled up a chair.

Sloan looked at Ed and then at Hobbes. The look on her face showed it all. Time was running out for Ed. His breathing had become labored since he was given the DNA serum. "Not good, Bobby. Even if they do find a way to remove the gland safely, Ed may not even make it through the conversion process," Sloan said as she gripped Ed's hand tightly. Tom put a hand on her shoulder for strength.

"He'll make it." Hobbes' tone was filled with certainty.

"How do you know?" Sloan asked.

"Because I know him, seen him in action. He's strong. Plus I know those three…" Hobbes gestured towards Claire, Kevin and Tara. "…well, maybe I don't know Kevin as well. But they're all smart. I've seen Claire come up with stuff when her back was against the wall and saved not only Fawkes' life but the entire Agency. She'll find a way to save Ed too."

Sloan smiled. "Thanks, Bobby." She looked at Ed, he was so pale and had broken out in a sweat. "I guess he needs to hear us talk positive doesn't he?" She soaked a wet cloth and applied to his forehead. The fever had set in that Tara warned would be the critical part of his conversion.

"Yeah, even if his mind is on the fritz…maybe he can still feel the vibes."

"He doesn't need to hear that we've given up on him," Tom added. "I agree with Hobbes. Ed will pull through just like he always does."

Sloan leaned over and kissed Ed on his cheek. "Hang in there, Ed. I know you can do it." Ed remained motionless.

"Okay, now that I've brought food and those guys are in some pretty serious discussions. I'm going to find Arnaud and rip his heart out and stuff it down his throat." Hobbes said.

Sloan looked at him with curiosity, "I thought he was dead?"

"A body was never found. But I hope he is alive…so I can kill him myself. And a bad arm won't keep me from doing it either." Hobbes turned and left the lab.

"I actually feel sorry for Arnaud," Sloan stated.

Tom's brow curved up in an arch. "I don't."

Across the room, Tara, Claire and Kevin agreed on the procedure to remove the gland. Kevin put his hand on Claire's shoulder, "It'll work…trust me."

She looked into his eyes and saw confidence in them. She partly smiled, "Then let's do it."

Ray, Tom and Sloan sat silent in the waiting room. Sloan glanced up at the clock and shot Tom a despondent glance. He reached his arm around her shoulder and drew her in close to his body. She found comfort in the closeness of his body and nestled to him as her head rested on his shoulder.

Claire was next to Ed holding his hand as he was prepped for surgery. She glanced up for a second to see Kevin going over the trays to make sure the necessary instruments were there with Tara.

She turned her attention back to Ed as the tube was placed down his throat and into his lungs. The anesthesiologist hooked the other end to the life support system and the machine began to breathe for Ed. She bent down and kissed him on his cheek. "I love you," she whispered in his ear. The tube was taped down.

Kevin walked over with Tara and glanced at Claire. "Are you sure you want to be in here?"

"I've got to be here. If he dies, I want to be at his side."

Kevin half smiled. He put his hand on her shoulder, "You're a strong woman, Claire, always have been. He's lucky to have someone like you." He glanced at his watch, "Let's get started." As they left to wash up, Ed was flipped over gently onto his stomach and the tube was readjusted to accommodate this new position.

TBC…


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Darcy stared off in the waiting room at nothing in particular. The paintings on the wall had already bored her beyond belief. 'I thought these things were supposed to be interesting,' she mused to herself. She had flipped through some of the typically outdated magazines but they didn't offer any real intellectual relief or distraction for that matter.

The really odd thing about all this was the fact that her husband, an ex-thief working for the government had become…a brain surgeon. Who would have thought? But actually it was the remnants of something called memory RNA that had resurfaced. Claire had explained to her exactly what had happened years ago. She couldn't make sense of what Kevin had done or why, but in a way, he could redeem himself even if it wasn't the gland being removed from Darien. At least, thankfully, it was Kevin that came back and not Simon Cole.

All she could do was hope that Kevin could control the body of his younger brother long enough to help Ed. Claire told her she wasn't sure how long Kevin's memory RNA would last. This was something that she didn't tell anyone else. They all had enough to worry about, but Claire had to tell someone and she figured that Darcy was her best choice. Maybe Claire felt that there was still some connection she had to Darien that she could tell him to hold off a little while longer and let Kevin do what needs to be done.

Sloan resigned herself to using Tom's lap as a pillow. A sense of déjà vu came to her. She and Tom were in the exact same position as Ed lay in a semi-coma from the Spanish Flu. They had given him the vaccine but they weren't sure how effective it would be. That's when her long vigil by her best friend side started. This time however, he was in a different room because of a strange twist of circumstances.

Dr. Kevin Fawkes, the dead scientist brother of Darien, who developed the gland and put one in Darien, was trying to take one out of a stranger who happens to bare a remarkable resemblance to Darien. The gland in Ed was developed by the very man who had Kevin murdered. And the strangest thing of all was that Kevin was performing this race against time operation in the body of his younger brother. Sloan had seen and heard some strange things since joining the Agency, but this one takes the cake.

She let out a disappointing sigh. Only ten minutes had passed since they were asked to leave the O.R. area and wait in the special room that was set up for them. Claire had stated that the operation could last as long as six hours. 'Another five hours and fifty minutes to go,'she thought to herself as the minutes didn't tick away like hours, but more like years.

Kevin put down the clippers and Tara handed him the scalpel. He glanced around the room and without saying a word, started his incision line. Tara began to suction as Claire readied the drill that would cut into Ed's skull.

Walter monitored the operation and kept a close eye on Ed's DNA. Every so often he would take a blood sample to run tests. Ed was now at 1.4% differential. Tara with her eyes, would motion to Walter when Ed would go through another conversion cycle. His heart rate would rise and his body would become tense. In order to keep him as still as possible, he was strapped down tightly to the table. The last thing they wanted was for Ed to have a seizure while Kevin was doing some intricate work on his brain.

What they were doing was unheard of and life threatening. Normally, the patient would be stable before doing surgery of this kind, but they had no choice. With Ed's brain becoming more compact, the macroganglias of the gland would pull away even more thus giving Kevin the best possible chance of disconnecting the nerves and blood vessels with the least amount of damage. The only drawback was the fact the gland itself could do permanent damage as it pulls away. It was a chance Kevin had to take to give him a better opportunity to successfully remove the dying gland, but he had to work quickly.

Kevin handed the scalpel back to Tara. He glanced at Claire and nodded. Claire handed him the drill with the circular drill at the end. It resembled the kind of drill bit that someone would use to drill a good size hole in the wall to put in a pipe either for water or for drainage. Kevin carefully and expertly started the next part of the procedure. This was the easy part, the hard part and most critical was right around the corner.

Hobbes waited in the outdoor café for his contact to show up. He checked his watch. He was becoming increasingly impatient. Time was of the importance. The longer he had to wait the quicker Arnaud could slip through his fingers, if the Swiss Miss Mother was still alive.

In a way, he hoped that he was alive that way he could end the life of this miserable excuse for a human being. Had he snapped? Possibly yes…well, more like definitely. He was angry, very angry, quicksilver mad kind of angry. He wasn't going to sit by and let Arnaud ruin two more lives. He never thought that he would have reacted this way where Ed was concerned, but here he was. The last straw that broke his resolve was seeing Claire in so much pain again. She found someone to be her soul mate, then in a flash lost him. He remembered what she had gone through, how Ed's death had affected her. Her mourning had turned into joy when they found out that Ed hadn't died. In an odd twist, he ended up finding someone to share his life with because of that. Just like that old saying goes; _things happen for a reason_. And the last thing he wanted to see was for Claire to go through all that again. Even if he did find Arnaud, there was nothing he could do; too little too late, it was all in Kevin's hands.

If Ed were to die, he wanted the satisfaction of bringing Arnaud's dead cold body into the Agency. It wouldn't bring Ed back, but it would feel good. Hobbes wanted revenge, revenge for Darien, for Kevin, for Ed and most importantly…for Claire.

A silhouette stepped from the shadows. 'It's about frickin' time, my friend,' Hobbes noted irritably to himself as he watched the younger man come towards him. The young man kept looking over his shoulder nervously as if he expected someone to come up to him and kill him. Hobbes shook his head, 'Late and nervous…not good traits to have in the spook business.'__

"Carlos," Hobbes said gleefully as he put his hand out. "Como esta?"

"Muy bien," the young man replied. "E tu?"

"Bein, bien…but, I'll be even better if you have the shipment I want."

"Arrepentido, Senor Hobbes, the shipment is lost."

"Cuando?"

"Yo no se."

Hobbes, scratching his head, looked around dismayed; this was not going as he planned. "Do you know the condition of the shipment when it was lost?"

"Si. What I hear is, muy malo. But shipment disappeared. Yo le digo la verdad."

The young man was visibly nervous. Hobbes decided to let him go. He patted him on the back, "I know you are, Carlos. Thanks." He watched the young man scurry away quickly. 'Something has this guy ready to piss his pants,' he thought to himself. He was right back at square one. With one last quick glance around the café, he walked away. As he approached the van he saw a note on the windshield of his van. At first he thought it was a ticket.

"Oh c'mon!" Hobbes said agitated as he pulled it free from the wiper. He opened it up to read it. Inspecting his surroundings he read the note scribbled in Spanish again, _Tenga cuidado hombre con pelo blanco._

"Beware of man with white hair…" Hobbes slapped the note with his free hand. "Lewis." He crumpled up the note and stuck it in his pocket. "What does Lewis have to do with all this?" he paused as he opened the door. "I need Fawkes with me on this one."

A few hours later, Mark came into the room where the vigil for Ed was kept. He could sense the very strong tense emotion as all eyes turned to him expecting to see Walter with another report. He took a seat next to Tom as Sloan sat up. "Any word yet?"

Sloan shook her head, "No. Walter came out a few minutes ago and said that Ed was hanging in there. He's at 1.5%. Kevin and Claire were working on getting to the gland. That's all we know."

Mark tapped her on the knee, "He's a strong human and being a dominant will help him be even stronger. I know it's hard, but this was the best way."

"It's just so strange, we've been fighting for our survival as humans and now the only way for Ed to survive is to be a dominant."

"Sloan…"

"It's okay, I know. It's only temporary until he gets his strength back."

"Tom, I need to speak with you." Mark said changing the subject quickly.

Sloan's eyes widened, "What you have to say to Tom you can say in front of me."

Mark noted the strong conviction behind her words. She was right though, this did concern her. "I'm sorry, Sloan, my apologies." He turned his attention to Tom, "I need you to come with me."

"What? Now? I need him." Sloan became upset and it showed in her voice as well as in her body language.

"Again, I'm sorry, Sloan. I understand the situation here but you have to understand the dire situation that Darien and Ed put us in…the world in fact."

"It wasn't their fault!" Sloan quickly added in a tone filled with defiance. "They didn't know what they were doing. It was all Lewis' fault, not theirs. I won't sit here and let you blame Darien and Ed for something they couldn't control. Darien was used by Lewis and we all know that!"

Tom's brow curved upward at Sloan's outburst. She was just as fierce defending Ed as he would be defending her. This was a friendship that was deeply seeded in loyalty for one another. And he believed her; Darien and Ed were not at fault. "She's right, Mark. Lewis was behind this and he wanted to use Darien as a weapon, but he couldn't control him. The serum was meant for me, not for Ed. The blood is upon Lewis' hands not Darien and Ed's."

"Maybe so, and if it's true, than we have an even bigger problem. Tom, the other Chosen are on their way to Los Angels and will be there soon."

"Los Angeles?" Sloan asked.

"Yes. Our people need leadership if we are to live in peace. This is our opportunity but if Lewis' intent was to use Darien to gain power in the High Council then…"

"We'll have division among our people," Tom completed Mark's statement. "Some will rally behind Lewis saying that it was the humans that eliminated the Council. Lewis will use his resources to promote his agenda."

"And what agenda would that be?" Sloan asked intently looking at Tom and Mark.

"War," announced the voice from the other side of the room. Darcy stood up and walked over to them. "It's been his plan for a long time. We all know that he's wanted to discredit the co-existence faction for a long time. He may even say that it was them that eliminated the High Council just so that the Council of the Chosen would form knowing that you, Tom, want peace. He could easily say you used the peace movement for your own agenda, to gain control. Lewis can accuse you of betraying your own people."

"That makes sense. If Lewis can persuade the dominants who want war or who are having doubts either way that it was the co-existence behind the assassinations, then they would want Lewis to lead them against peaceful co-existence. Talk about bad press." Sloan leaned back on the couch.

"That's why you've got to come with me, Tom. You need to stand for peace before Lewis can pollute the minds of our people."

Tom let out a long breath. He knew this day was coming, but he had been trained not to bring attention to himself and he was being asked to do so. He was trained as a Chameleon, a killer, he wasn't trained to be a leader. His childhood wasn't spent being primed and prepared to be a future President. But now, he had no choice, like Ed is so fond of saying from time to time, he's going to have to 'wing it'. He always found human sayings to be odd and confusing especially when they came from Ed.

"Let's go," Tom said in resignation. He looked at Sloan apologetically, "This is something I have to do."

"I know. Ed would want you to."

Tom smiled lovingly at Sloan for understanding. "I'll be back as soon as I can." He kissed her gently on the lips then left with Mark. Darcy took Tom's place next to Sloan. Neither one could find the words to say. They just held hands trying to find strength from each other. Sometimes a lot can be said in silence. They were both worried and it showed.

"Okay, I see it…I need to detach the secondary macroganglia from the blood vessels first," Kevin stated calmly as he worked with the necessary instruments carefully.

Walter came up to Tara. "1.6," he stated then walked away.

Kevin glanced up at Tara, 'I'm behind, I should have been at the primary macroganglia by now, I have to hurry,' he thought to himself and then returned to his work. Claire was too involved in the procedure to hear Walter or even to see the concerned expression on Kevin's face. All of her attention was on Ed and what Kevin was doing.

Kevin peered through the microscope as he prepared to separate the gland from the blood vessels. Claire held up the needle and the suture attached to it was nearly invisible. After an intense half hour, the secondary macroganglia was detached. Kevin held a bloodied gloved hand out. Claire instinctively put the hemostat holding the hair thin needle onto his hand. She assisted in the complex suturing process that would take a nerve racking long time.

Shane met with Hobbes with the information he was able to gather, which unfortunately wasn't much. "Agent Hobbes…"

"I know, kid," Hobbes patted the younger man on the shoulder, "I can see it on your face. I didn't have much luck either, but I do know one thing."

"What's that?"

"Lewis is looking for Arnie or he's up to something."

"This can't be good."

"Nope, it isn't, my friend. C'mon, I have few more angles to work on."

Kevin looked at Claire, "Here goes." With steady hands he began the complex and dangerous procedure of detaching the primary macroganglia from the brain stem. A wrong cut and Ed could die, end up in a vegetative state and or paralyzed from the 3rd vertebrae down. He also needed to make sure that he didn't cut the gland in any way releasing quicksilver into Ed's brain. If that were to happen, the surgery would be over. This was a critical part of the whole operation and the air in the sterile room became thin as everyone sucked in a breath as Kevin began the arduous task of removing the rest of the gland.

Walter had left the O.R. to give another update. As he walked into the room, he noticed that Tom was missing. Sloan stood up and walked up to him, "How's Ed?"

"He reached the 1.6% differential. His vitals are pretty strong as is expected. As much as I hate to admit this, Tara made a good call. I don't think Ed would have survived the procedure this far. Kevin has already detached the secondary macroganglia and was able to suture the blood vessels back to together with no difficulty. He's detaching the primary one now."

"The most critical," Sloan added wearily.

Darcy got up to join them in the conversation. "How's Darien…I mean…Kevin holding up?"

"He's doing well."

"And Claire?" Sloan was worried about her. She understood why she wanted to be in there with Ed, she would do the same if it was Tom.

"She's a strong woman. She's working along side Kevin and giving him the much needed help." After a moment's pause, Walter continued, "I'm going to go back in. I'll keep you up to date as often as I can."

The two ladies shook their heads and watched Walter leave. Darcy looked at Sloan, "You want some coffee?"

"Yeah, I could use some." Sloan went back to her seat and curled her legs underneath her. Her thoughts were focused on Ed as she thought back to the reception and how happy he and Claire looked. When he knelt down in front of her to remove the garter she could see how his eyes sparkled as he looked into Claire's eyes. The love that they have for each other was evident in their eyes and their smiles as they looked at each other. She'd had never seen Ed as happy as he was that day.

The two couples had decided not to smash the cake into each other faces but to show symbolically how they would care and treat the ones they loved. Lovingly and reverently, they fed the pieces of cake to each other. It was as if they were demonstrating how they would care for one other if the other became so ill they couldn't even perform the simplest of tasks for themselves.

And it was this memory that Sloan started to cry. She knew what the side affects of this surgery was. Paralysis was very high on the list of the things that could go wrong. She knew that it would just kill Ed if he could never walk again or even hold Claire in his arms. "No, no…" Sloan vehemently shook her head, "I won't think that way, everything will be fine." She looked up at the ceiling, "Please, let everything be okay."

Mark and Tom used the helicopter to get to Los Angeles. They landed on the roof of what was once the High Council. They stepped off with a dominant waiting for them. "Tom Daniels, we've been expecting you, please, follow me."

Mark and Tom glanced at each other and followed the young man. They walked down a flight of stairs and out into one of the back hallways leading to the main chamber. The young man opened the door. Tom was about to walk in first, but Mark stopped him, he could sense dominants present in the chamber, "Could be a trap."

"It's not a trap," the young man said.

Mark looked down on the man with determined eyes, "I'll be the judge of that." Mark walked in first. He glanced around at the eyes staring at him. He sensed no hostile intent in them; he turned and motioned for Tom to enter. The first thing that Tom noticed was that the chamber had been cleaned up and prepared to be the home of the Council of the Chosen. The wall designs were back up and fixed. A half circle shaped table made from mahogany wood replaced the rectangular one used by the High Council. The seven chairs were made from the same wood and each one had ornate carvings decorating the backs of them.

The young man walked to the center of the room. "The time of the Chosen is upon us."

Mark whispered in Tom's ear, "Dramatic."

The other Chosen began to take their seats. Tom watched with curiosity as they all obviously knew where to sit but him. He waited until they were all seated to see where he was supposed to sit. There were seven chairs but counting Tom, there were only six Chosen present. The young man came up to Tom, "Your seat is in the center."

Tom's brows curved in bewilderment. Did that mean he was the leader of the Chosen? Tom took his seat with Mark standing behind him.

"You're place is over here," the man said to Mark motioning to a position in the front of the room.

"My place is right here…for now," Mark replied sternly as he stood with his arms folded in a defiant manner.

'…Go ahead, make my day…' Tom amusingly thought as he compared Mark's behavior to _Dirty Harry_. The long nights of movie marathons he shared with Sloan and Ed certainly allowed him to catch up on human entertainment. Tom was shaken from his random thought when he suddenly felt all eyes on him. They were waiting for him to say something on the matter. "He stands were he wants to," he finally announced and the tension in the room eased.

"The Chosen will now introduce themselves," the man announced.

"I am Faraji Lumumba from the continent of Africa."

"I am Hogitaro Kobayashi from the continent of Asia."

"I am Veronica Doyle from the continent of Australia."

"I am Lukas Wendelken from the continent of Europe."

"I am Alphonso de la Cosa from the continent of South America."

Tom realized why there were only six, the other continent was Antarctica and no one lives there but scientists who visit for a short while. Mark gave him a gentle shove to pull him from his thoughts. It was his turn to introduce himself. "I am Tom Daniels from the continent of North America." He felt silly, but he wanted to follow protocol. Tom noticed the one empty seat at the end of the table. He wanted to ask who that seat was meant for but he didn't know if he should or not. He didn't have to wait long for his answer.

"I am Lloyd Adler. I will be your assistant if you will. The seventh seat is set for someone whom you will choose. Tom Daniels, you have been picked from the beginning to be the leader of the Chosen. I turn it over to you. What would you have us do?"

All eyes turned to Tom once again. He knew what he had to do, what he had to say. He stood up. "We are in a time when the decisions we make affect all of us, dominants and humans alike. We have a choice here to make and I hope it's the right one. We have seen what happens when a species is wiped out that plays an important role in nature, it becomes unbalanced. The destruction of the rain forests is an important example of how nature and the earth as a whole are affected. Therefore, I implore that peace be sought with our human ancestors."

There was audible murmuring in the room, but Tom ignored it and continued. "Homo sapiens and Neanderthals are two complete different species of man. But they lived together in peace for thousands of years before the inevitable happened. They learned from each other, how to cope with climate changes, how to hunt effectively…how to survive. I believe the same can happen here. If we set out to destroy the humans we will only cause an imbalance in nature that would lead to our own extinction. If we choose war, we choose death for millions of humans and our own people. It's a war that can not be won…by either side. As your leader, I ask that we find a better way to live without threat of war." Tom sat down and hoped for the best.

"All in favor of seeking peace raise your hand."

With thin surgical like tongs, Kevin removed the gland. Tara held out the specimen jar for him. He carefully placed it inside the jar and handed the tongs to Claire. She then handed him the hemostat with the needle and the suture. Kevin began the intricate work of suturing the nerves back together. No one had said a word. No one wanted to disrupt Kevin's concentration. Ed's vitals were still strong but the real test would come later when they checked his reflexes.

After about a good hour, Kevin was finished. "I'll suture him back up," Claire stated. Kevin nodded, he was tired, very tired. But he didn't want to sleep yet. Walter came up to him as Claire and Tara prepared to replace the bone and suture the incision area closed.

"Well?" Walter asked.

Kevin tore his gloves off and held up the jar with the gland. "The next 24 hours are critical. There's a chance that Ed could still die from the procedure. We'll need to continue the gene therapy so he's not dependent on the gland. As for paralysis, I don't know if any damage was done to the nerves before or during the operation. We'll know that when he wakes up." He twirled the jar around in his hands, "I'm going to study Arnaud's baby. I want to know what went wrong…" he glanced up at Walter, "…then I'm going to destroy it."

Walter nodded in agreement, "Agreed. But make it quick. I get the feeling that Charlie will want you to fix it."

Kevin shook his head, "No, one gland is enough. Besides, this one has already caused too much pain."

When Claire and Tara were done, Ed was placed on his back and taken to the recovery room. There Claire started a long vigil as she waited for Ed to wake up.

TBC…


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Lewis sat in his car waiting. It had been a long couple of days with all the chaos. The High Council was gone and the Council of the Chosen had just formed. Things were sort of going as planned, but somehow he knew he could still make use of this. He just needed to find somewhere quiet for him to work this out.

The facts he did know was that Darien had been caught and was back in the care of the humans. Where they were caring for him was still unknown, but he didn't matter anymore. Darien was beyond their control, he had other plans for him anyway. No, he wanted Sloan to pay for taking Tom away from him. He wanted Tom to pay for his betrayal. As usual he had been working on a plan. Executing it would take a world wide coordinated effort and his people in place, he just needed the right time.

Lewis stepped from his car when he felt his contact coming near. He waited a few seconds and the figure emerged from the car he rode in. A malicious smile spread across his face, "Kevin, so good you could make it."

"Well, your invitation was too good to pass up. What is this special job you have for me?"

Lewis shook his head, "So young yet so eager…I like that. Let's take a ride and I'll explain it all to you." His arm wrapped around the shoulder of the fifteen year old. They got inside Lewis' car and the other followed behind them.

The sun was starting to set now and the first star of the evening came into the view. The birds rushed off for their nightly slumber as the night creatures began to stir. Shane stared at the vase array of colors as the sun dipped beyond the Pacific. Hobbes had been quiet since their last inquiry had fallen just as flat as the others.

It seems that Arnaud had disappeared from the face of the earth. But one thing Hobbes and Shane did find out, Lewis doesn't want Arnaud. There's something else brewing with the white haired, crystal blue-eyed dominant. But like Arnaud, he had disappeared as well. Walter and his toys easily tracked down Darien and Ed, but Lewis has proven to be elusive time and time again. Unlike Arnaud, Lewis had a network of helpers and people that would die to protect him.

"What do we do now?"

"Go back to Fort Leavitt," Hobbes said dolefully as he drove towards the military facility. He had wanted to find Arnaud or at least get some information on where he was at. Actually he not only wanted to find him, but to feel his hands grip tightly around the Swiss Miss muther's scrawny neck.

Tom watched impassively as hands went up slowly around the room. Internally he let out a sigh of relief. He looked down at the table to plan his next move. "Okay, then I guess the next thing we should do is have open communication with the U.N. If no one objects, since Mark Ward is the leader of the Co-Existence Faction, I nominate him to be our liaison to the U.N."

After an agreement was made and voted on, Mark took the seventh seat that had been reserved.

In another lab, Kevin worked to find the answer he was looking for: Why did the gland fail? He had removed a piece of the bio part and studied it meticulously under a microscope when the door opened. He didn't even bother to turn around; he already knew who it was.

"Why'd you do it, Charlie?" Kevin asked while keeping his concentration on the task at hand.

The Official let out a sigh. "Tell me what you mean and then I'll see if I can give you an answer."

Kevin turned around on the seat, "Why'd you order Claire to keep the cure from Darien?"

"Because I thought he would bolt."

Kevin slightly shook his head as if in heavy thought, "I see. Did it ever occur to you to ask?"

"Why should I trust an ex-thief, a con?"

"I trusted him enough to choose him for the project…"

"No, you choose him so he could get out of prison and not soil the Fawkes name."

Kevin rose to his feet slowly like a predator that had just spotted its victim. "Don't presume to know how I think, Charlie. I choose Darien because I knew he was innocent, because I knew he got the shaft." Kevin moved closer to the Official, "And because I knew him better than anyone, even himself. I knew he was more than what he was and he proved it! You should've given him the same chance. He didn't have to suffer like that. We both know he would've stayed."

"I know that now."

"Yeah, well…" Kevin looked back at the gland in the jar and then back at the Official. "You want me to fix it don't you?"

"I see you've figured out how to use your brother's newly acquired abilities."

"I don't really have to use them, I know you too well. I'm working on what happened. I have to find the cause first before I can fix it."

The Official eyed him doubtfully. "Well, just to make sure, these two agents are going to watch to make sure nothing inadvertently happens to the gland."

"Okay, fair enough." Kevin watched the Official leave and then glanced at the agents. He forced a polite smile, "Hi."

The agents merely nodded their heads and took their position inside the lab. Kevin raised both brows, "Okay, well…" he turned to sit back down. He checked his watch and decided that he would visit Ed in about thirty minutes. In the meantime he would continue his work. He began by comparing the notes that were retrieved from Arnaud's computer and Area 51.

Ed's hand was motionless as Claire held it in hers, squeezing it every so often. Her other hand gently brushed his cheek as she whispered in his ear. "Honey, I'm here. Please wake up." His scent filled her nostrils and she laid her head on the pillow to snuggle closer to him.

She closed her eyes. The smell of the ocean was strong on him, always was no matter how many times he showered, the scent was engrained in his pores. Along with the hint of the ocean there were the moisturizers to prevent _leather skin_ and the cologne that he used on a regular basis. All these were mixed together to create Ed's unique scent, one that she could smell on his pillows at home. Hobbes had told her that on more than one occasion that even if Darien and Ed brushed their hair the same way, he could always tell them apart, Ed smelled like a walking ad for Tropicana Suntan Lotion. He had made that comment when Ed escaped from Arnaud and was quicksilver mad. But it was true, although Ed didn't use Tropicana; he used Banana Boat Sport Sun Block. Claire smiled as a soft giggle vibrated in her throat at the thought.

"Hon, can you move your hand for me?" She watched his hand and she sighed when she saw no movement. She closed her eyes again and just rested for a few moments completely lost in her thoughts. She jumped when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"I'm sorry, Claire, I didn't mean to scare you."

Clutching her chest, Claire nodded, "It's okay. I'll be fine."

Sloan pulled up a chair and set it down on the other side of Ed's bed. She sat down and placed her hand on his other arm. "Anything?"

Claire looked at Ed with tired eyes, "No, nothing."

"Why don't you rest? I'll watch him and tell you if anything happens. Tara is here, so she can help me if anything…" Sloan stopped herself.

Claire knew what she was about to say and made no comment about it. "It's okay, Sloan. But, I don't think I'll be able to sleep or get much rest. Not until he wakes up anyway. He's my…was my kept and my place is here at his side."

Sloan smiled. "I understand. Boy, talk about crossing that doctor/patient line."

Claire giggled, "Well, we didn't actually have a choice in that. Walter was not about to bring in someone else to be his Keeper."

"I don't think Ed would have trusted anybody else." Sloan said with a smile as she gazed down at her colleague. "Hey, Ed…it's me, Sloan. I would really love to see those brown eyes of yours."

No movement. Claire glanced down at the hand in her hand. She knew it could be days for him to wake up and if she has to, she'll have a bed brought in to sleep by his side. Her next concern however was what to do with Kevin and if she gave him the peptide, which Darien would emerge? The regular Darien or the dominant crazed one.

Hobbes returned with Shane and met with Darcy in the hallway. She was coming back from the cafeteria to get some food. "Any luck?" she asked as Shane helped her with some of the containers.

"No…" Hobbes answered tired and with a hint of dejection in his voice. "I really wanted to get my hands on Arnie." Hobbes paused for a moment before continuing, "How's doc doing?"

"He's out of surgery and Kevin was able to remove the gland, but he won't know how all this has affected Ed until he wakes up. So far we do have a good sign; he's breathing on his own."

"That's good," Hobbes commented.

"I was going to see Claire. I bought some food for her…she must be hungry by now." Darcy said.

"I take it then the serum worked?" Shane asked suddenly.

"Yes."

"Then you may have more to deal with when Ed wakes up," he added.

Darcy thought for a moment and then the realization of what Shane was saying hit her, "Oh shi…sh…nik…"

Hobbes raised a brow. Darcy shrugged her shoulders, "Don't want to swear in front of the kids," she patted her belly as she spoke.

"Of course," Hobbes commented bewildered. "But what is Shane talking about?"

"Ed is not human; we don't know how the conversion process affected him. Most of the humans that were used in the testing had different responses. Ed maybe like sweet Ed but then he might be like…"

"Dominant nutso Ed," Hobbes finished.

"We have to find Tara." The three of them went off to find Tara.

Tara walked down the hall towards the room that was set up as a private recovery room for Ed. It would also serve as private room once Ed was out of the recovery stage of his post-surgery. She heard the clatter of feet coming down the hall and felt the presence of one human and two dominants. She was about to go into an aggressive stance when she recognized who it was. A smile spread across her face as she turned to meet Hobbes.

"Bobby!" She called out, but the smile quickly faded when she sensed the urgency in her friends and her lover. "What's wrong?"

"It's Ed…but he's okay, I mean, but now that he's a dominant, do we know how this affected him?" Darcy asked.

Tara though deeply for a moment and then sudden understanding crept across her face, "Damn, how could I be so stupid…I forgot…" She looked down at Darcy's belly. Her lips curled into a smile, "That's it! Okay, studies have proven that when parents talk to their babies in utero they do respond to the voices after birth…that's what we need to do for Ed." She looked at Shane and Darcy, "We have to talk to him, dominant to dominant. Tell him that his instincts tell him one thing but that there is a better way. We'll imprint in his mind that it's okay to have human emotions and that we can co-exist peacefully with humans."

"What a great idea. Guess I should be doing that with my babies too."

"Then what are you waiting for, start talkin' to him before he wakes up," Hobbes said as he grabbed Tara by her arm to pull her towards Ed's room.

Kevin checked his watch; it had been nearly an hour. So far he had kept everything in his head. He didn't want to chance the Official confiscating his research so he faked typing on the laptop he had been given. As he said before one gland is enough. He got up from his seat to check on the gland under the watchful eyes of the agents. He carried the jar to his table and pulled out a syringe.

"I'm going to attempt gene splicing in the DNA by injecting a retroviral agent. I think the cause of the gland's deterioration was from a beta agent reactant in Dr. Tate's bloodstream from a component of the DNA altering serum that Darien gave him." Kevin studied the befuddled expressions and internally claimed victory, "Never mind, I'm just going to do my work." Kevin placed the needle into a small vial and filled its contents into the syringe. 'Dazzled them with BS…' he thought as he gave the syringe a few taps to get the air bubbles out and then proceeded to inject the contents into the gland. He filled up another syringe and held it up to the agents, "This is the gene therapy for Dr. Tate." The two agents nodded their approval. The syringe wasn't for Ed, it was for himself. Secretly he had worked on an anti-peptide solution, his equivalent to a cyanide pill. He thought back to the conversation he and Claire had in the Keep long ago. He was surprised that she even knew how make it. He realized then that Darien was in good hands and now so is Ed. It was time for him to go.

He picked up some other supplies and placed the syringe in his pocket. "Okay, well, while I'm waiting for the retroviral agent to work on the gland, I'm going to see how Dr. Tate is doing." They nodded and he left the lab. _Well, that takes care of that gland_, Kevin thought to himself. He still wasn't completely finished with his research but he didn't want to take any chances, he knew what he had to do. He also knew that he was going to hurt some people again, mainly Darien. But he had no choice.

Darcy sat next to Ed as did Tara and Shane. Claire, Sloan and Hobbes looked on from a distance. No one knew if Ed would wake up paralyzed or not, but they didn't want to take any chances.

Kevin walked in and saw them. Claire walked up to him, "What did you find?"

"It wasn't Darien's fault. There was a flaw in Arnaud's design to begin with. This would have happened sooner or later, it was just a matter of time. Whatever Arnaud had Ed do to it caused a breakdown in the bio part. Something that Ed would not have known about. The constant doses of counteragent over a short period of time at Area 51…going in and out of quicksilver madness…then what Darien gave him and then going into stage five madness caused a premature chemical overload in the gland. In other words, the gland got stressed out."

"The quicksilver gland version of a heart attack," Sloan noted.

Kevin shook his head, "Yeah, you might say that." He looked over towards Ed, "They're talking to him, huh?"

"They figured better to be safe than sorry. He may wake up kicking." Claire scratched the back of her neck.

"I'm gonna go check on his vitals. I'll be back." Kevin walked over to Ed. Tara, Darcy and Shane decided to let Kevin do what he needed to do and then they would go back to talking to Ed. Kevin pulled out his stethoscope and proceeded to examine Ed.

'You know, I don't know if you can hear me, but I'm gonna try this out anyway. I know you may not understand what I have to do…what I'm going to do, but I have no choice. The Official wanted me to fix the gland. I'm pretty sure he wasn't going to put it back in your head, but save it for someone else. Probably another Simon Cole…either way, I can't let that happen. I injected a retrovirus that will destroy the gland if it hasn't already and I'm going to give myself the peptide shot. I've done all I could for you, you're in good hands with Claire. We injected nano-scaffolds that will help rebuild the damaged nerve cells. I know it's a radical new procedure, but I'm sure it'll work on you. You're breathing on your own and that's a very good sign. And ah, the scaffolds are biodegradable so no need to worry." Kevin paused for a moment, wondering if Ed could hear him before he continued. "I wish we could get to know each other better, but time is against me. I don't know what Charlie will do if he finds out what I've done, but I figure it's best if I just go. No sense in putting Darien in the path of his fury. Besides, this isn't fair to Darien or to Darcy. I'm dead and it's time I stay that way. Some coincidence, huh? I came back just in time to remove the gland from you. Maybe we do have someone looking out for us…wonder where my someone was that day at the facility. Guess it was just my time. Listen, take care of Darien and Claire. I'm sure they'll both be mad at me again, but this is the right thing to do. I can only hope that one day he'll understand.' Kevin jotted some notes down. He turned and walked back towards Claire.

"Everything seems to be fine. His vitals are strong. It may take time for any movement to occur. If anything I'd say that any paralysis he may have should be temporary. Remember, we just did major brain surgery on him. You'll have to give the nano-scaffolds time to work."

Claire glanced at Tara and then back to Kevin. She shook her head as she folded her arms in front of her. "If this works, do you realize that the three of us may have pushed this research to a new level?"

"Claire, we tried this on someone after removing a top secret invisibility gland. We can't exactly go around writing up articles for medical journals." Tara noted.

Claire pursed her lips together. "True. I've been in this situation before."

"Really?" Tara asked with interest in her tone.

"Look, I've got some tests waiting for me…"

"Kevin, you need to sleep." Claire stopped him by grabbing his arm.

"I know, but…" he looked into her eyes, "Okay, just one more test and then I'll get some rest. I promise."

As Kevin walked down the long hall he took a detour into one of the restrooms. He pulled a piece of paper and pen to scribble his note. When that was done, he pulled out the syringe from his pocket. "I'm sorry…" he uncapped the needle.

He could hear the faint tone of voices…too many of them. The sound was like that of bugs buzzing around his ear. He tried to shut them out, but one voice was louder than all of them. He recognized it…Darien…but not Darien. The pain in his head hurt when he tried to concentrate on the voice. 'What did he say? Something about doing what he has to do…the gland…fix it…Simon Cole…Claire and Darien…Claire.' He could feel her presence…how? And there were others with him. 'What's going on?'

There was another noise mixed in the voices…_beep_…_beep_…_beep_…and then pressure on his arm…tight pressure like someone was squeezing him…then another sound…different from the other…the sound of something deflating was next followed by the pressure around his arm easing, 'A heart monitor and a blood pressure cuff…what the hell happened to me?'

What else did the voice say to him? 'Oh yeah, Darien and Claire being mad…My God! Kevin! NOOOO!'

Tara, Shane and Darcy turned their attention immediately to Ed. "He's waking up…I think…" Tara noted as she rushed to Ed's side followed by Claire.

They watched as Ed's upper body twitched. His mouth opened slightly, "Don't…not…yet…" The words came out raspy and barely audible.

"Ed, what are you saying? Can you open your eyes?" Claire asked as she held his hand. She noticed how his body had twitched. Another good sign.

"Kevin…gland…Darien…"

"Ed, we don't understand. What are you trying to say?" Claire asked again as she leaned down closer to his lips to hear him clearer.

"Maybe he's dreaming," Darcy added.

"Could be," Tara answered. "He's pretty agitated."

"…pep…tide…don't…how…gland…Darien…"

"He's not making a lot of sense," Shane said.

Claire slowly rose to her full height. "Peptide…" Fear spread across her face, "Kevin…it's Kevin." Claire grabbed Darcy by her arm, "Come on, we have to find Kevin. Tara and Shane, stay with Ed in case he wakes up."

Tara and Shane shrugged their shoulders as Claire and Darcy ran from the room. "What was that about?" Shane asked.

"I have no idea, but Claire does and that's all that's important right now." Tara glanced back at Ed who was still clearly agitated and mumbling inaudibly now. "And obviously he knows too."

"Another progeny?" Shane asked.

Tara shook her head, "That's possible, but I don't think so. Maybe Kevin told him something during the examination. But, if he is a progeny like Darien, it'll be a shame to turn him back. We could use him on our side."

Darien stared at himself in the mirror of a strange bathroom wearing scrubs and a white lab coat. If he looked up confusion in the dictionary he'd find his picture. He spotted the visitor's tag and held it up to read it. "Fort Leavitt Hospital? What the hell is going here?" He looked down and found the note. Cautiously he opened it up and started to read it.

_Dear Darien,_

_You don't know this yet, but I came back. Something had happened to you to cause my memory RNA to kick back in. I know you're not going to understand why I left again, but I had no choice…_

"Kevin?" Darien's tone was full of disbelief. He went back to reading.

_…I was ordered to repair the gland…_

"Gland? My gland?" Darien wondered out loud as he read. He checked the back of his head in the mirror but there were no visible signs of any surgery. He shrugged his shoulders and went back to reading the note.

_…that I removed from Ed…_

"ED!?!" His hand clenched tightly around the note like a boa constrictor as he rushed from the bathroom. He ran down the hall as fast as he could to find someone to give him answers.

He turned the corner and stopped. His eyes searched the hall as he felt the presence of three dominants. He let the quicksilver flow and walked slowly down the hall to the room. Cautiously he pushed the door open. To his surprise, he saw Tara and Shane sitting next to…Ed. "Oh crap," he said in disbelief as the quicksilver flaked off.

Tara and Shane turned suddenly in the direction of the door and saw Darien appear in a burst of silver rain. They could sense the shock and confusion. Tara knew at once, "Darien?"

"What is going on here?" Darien said as he approached them. He kept his eyes on Ed. He pointed to his twin as he spoke, "What happened to him? Why is he…"

"A dominant?" Tara finished for him.

"Yeah." Darien stood at the foot of the bed staring down at the sleeping lanky form of his friend. A white bandage was wrapped around his head, the right side of his face painted with the dark colors of fresh bruises and a few cuts with stitches in one that looked particularly nasty.

"Darien, I think you need to sit down." Tara rose to her feet and pulled up a chair for Darien to sit. "What do you remember?"

Darien was silent for a moment as he searched his thoughts. "I remember Ed and Hobbes going to Scotland. Tom and I were at a bar…this dominant chic walked in…her name was…ah…Tabitha…her tires were slashed…I was driving her home…another dominant…a male, rammed my car. I got out…confronted him…everything went black…that's all I remember." He looked at the crumbled up note still in his hand and then back to Ed.

Tara and Shane traded glances and then Tara began to fill in the blanks for Darien. As she spoke Darien would react to a few words that struck him as shocking, but actually his attention was more on Ed. Every now and then he would look at Tara with a blank expression; he was quickly realizing that what had happened in the last two days and to Ed was his fault. He had thrown Ed through the glass partition, he had injected Ed with the serum meant for dominants and which more than likely caused the breakdown of the gland. And it was because the gland was dying, that Ed was now a dominant.

No matter how often Tara would reassure him that he didn't know, he couldn't control himself and that it wasn't his fault, Darien still believed it was.

"I should have known. I should've been able to stop her," Darien hissed.

"Darien, you're not Superman…" Tara began.

"If I could turn back time I would." The words flew out of Darien's mouth. He started to rise to his feet when Shane put a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't run out now." Shane motioned towards Ed, "He needs you. You need him."

"You want to rephrase that," Darien said looking at Shane oddly.

"You know what I meant. He needs you to talk to him, to tell him how you feel so he can say you're forgiven. Look, Ed already knows it's not your fault. He did things too that were out of his control. We think he killed Tabitha and some of the members of the High Council…"

"Yeah, he wouldn't 'uv if I hadn't given him the shot…"

Shane let out a long sigh. "All I'm asking you to do is to stay…talk to him…be here when he wakes up."

Claire and Darcy rushed into the room. "Kevin!" Claire yelled out. Darien slowly turned around and by the look on his face, Claire already knew.

Kevin was gone.

TBC…


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

After three days had passed, the Official was still furious and it had nothing to do with Darien or Hobbes. The gland had turned into a little raisin and was of no use. Even the notes that Kevin jotted was nothing but gibberish. Walter had burned what remained of it later on.

Darien sat by Ed's side to read and talk to him. Darcy was happy to have her husband back, but was dismayed at the guilt he was still holding inside. He had been working on cases with Hobbes and Tom, but when his day was through he would spend the night by Ed's side. She knew that he was eating himself up inside and there seemed to be nothing she or anyone could say to change his mind. Even his hair drooped and when she would try to fix it, it would just fall.

Claire was more vigilant over Ed now. With Kevin gone, he was completely in her hands. Ed had been slowly but surely responding to the stimulant tests. Claire would test his reflexes on a daily basis and remarkably she had seen improvement. The dominants do heal faster.

Claire walked over to Sloan and Tara scratching her head as she read her notes. "His vitals are strong, as is expected. The scans are showing…" a look of awe appeared on her face as she continued, "…tremendous brain activity. So why hasn't he woken up yet?"

After a few moments of silence, Tara had offered an observation that she had never thought of before. "Maybe, just maybe, dominants go into a dormant stage when we're suffering from a serious illness or injury. Like a self imposed coma to heal."

"You know, I think you're onto something. When Tom was beaten he did sleep for a day. And when Ed gave him the genogenesis serum he had a high fever and slept when it broke." Sloan added.

"This could be remarkable and another advantage over us. A self induced coma would prompt faster healing. The body is able to fight illnesses and heal better that way." Claire traded glances with Tara and Sloan.

"Sooo, he's been like hibernating." Darien overheard and in his own way was trying to understand what the three scientists were talking about.

Claire smiled, "Yeah, Darien, that's another way of putting it. We're not completely sure, it's only a theory. This would explain why the nano-scaffolds apparently are working."

"Oh you mean those little nano things Kevin injected Ed with?" Darien commented.

"Yeah," Claire said as she glanced back over at Ed. "Incredible…I just hope the genogenesis serum works."

"You're not the only one," Sloan remarked.

"Hey, I've got a huge stake in this. I'm the one that suggested that in the first place." Tara added strongly.

Claire glanced at Tara. Even if the serum didn't work, Ed was alive and on the road to recovery. "Tara, what you suggested worked. Ed would not have survived. In the grand scheme of things…" she shot a quick glance at Ed and then turned her head to look at Tara, "…I rather have him like this then the alternative. I've been down that road and I don't want to repeat it for a very long time."

"I know, but I still can't help but feel guilty if the serum doesn't work…"

"Guilty? Really? Isn't that a human emotion?" Sloan asked in a jovial tone.

Tara smiled, "Yeah, it is…never thought you'd see the day when a daughter of Lewis would feel guilty about turning Ed Tate into a dominant now would you? I accomplished what my father failed to do."

"You know, speaking of that, why didn't he just give Ed the shot, he's had his chances," Darien jumped in.

"I think we've talked about that and I have no answers, except that my father likes to go through with these giant schemes for some odd reason. He'll go to great lengths just to bop someone on the head. I think it's because he has illusions of grandeur."

"Hmmm…sounds like someone else I know." Darien looked at the questioning faces on the women. "Arnaud…" he said with raised brows.

"Ah…that's true," Claire retorted.

At that moment, Hobbes walked into the room and sauntered over to Tara. "Hey babe," he gave her a hug and then kissed her gently on her lips. Darien smiled and winked at Claire and Sloan. They smiled as they looked down at the floor blushing. "So, how's Superdoc doing today?"

"Sleeping…still. He hasn't made any movements or sounds since…you know," Tara remarked as they walked over to Ed.

"Oh…since Kevin did the ole peptide thing." Hobbes stood by Ed. "So, what's keepin' him asleep?"

"The girls think he's hibernating."

"Like a bear?"

"Groundhog."

"Madagascar fat-tailed dwarf lemur."

"I'm impressed."

"You should be."

"You read?"

"All the time, my friend."

Claire rolled her eyes. Tara wrapped her arms around Hobbes and kissed his cheek, "That's my Bobby."

It was Darien's turn to roll his eyes. Hobbes glared at him, "I know what's going through that so called evolved mind of yours."

"Oh, you do do you?" Darien tossed back.

"Yes, you find it hard to believe that Bobby Hobbes was able to make a new woman out of one of Lewis' daughters. Well, I did my…not so spiky haired friend." He gripped Tara's waist tightly and pulled her close to him. "Bobby Hobbes is full of sexual appeal that even dominant chicks can't resist."

Darien turned his head away and whispered to himself, "Oh man, I'm getting a mental picture and it ain't pretty."

"You ready to go home, babe?" Hobbes asked.

Tara looked at Claire. "It's okay, Tara, Sloan and I are here, if we need anything we'll call." Tara nodded and she left with Hobbes. Claire went back to her tests as Sloan pulled up a chair next to Darien.

Darien glanced at Sloan and then to Ed. "Hey, by the way, when did you two meet? I mean you and 'Double D'." Darien asked in curious tone.

She thought for a moment and leaned forward. "Ed had transferred over from UCLA after he completed his two years at NIAD with Dr. Copeland. We ended up in the same class in our senior at Whitney University. It was a class entitled 'Social Behavior in Human Evolution' and it was taught by Ann Coulter." Sloan smiled and chuckled slightly, "I don't think I'll ever forget when he first walked into class. He was wearing these tan cargo pants, a white t-shirt and this blue plaid shirt. His hiking boots were untied and his hair was semi-wet. He didn't look like he belonged in the class at all. At first I thought it was a trick, after all it was a study on 'human behavior'. I could see on Ann's face that she didn't think that Ed was in the right class either. When he walked in all heads turned his way and he was completely oblivious to it. He just sauntered in, found a seat and sat down. We were in an auditorium type classroom, which actually wasn't made for anybody over 5' 10". He eventually sat down front because there was no room for his legs in the rows."

"I know how that goes," Darien quipped.

Sloan smiled, "You should've seen him trying to get comfortable, it just wouldn't happen. Ann finally told him to switch with someone. Anyway, Ann had called him so she could check his schedule and sure enough, he was in the right class. He was definitely different. Not at all like the other guys in the class. Those guys were always on this mission to prove who was the smartest, who attended the best university previously, what their entrance scores were, GPA, etc."

"Ah…basically your classic egotistical geeks."

"Yeah, but not Ed though…he was genuine, what you saw is what you got…" Sloan's voice trailed off as if she was back in the class again that day. She could see Ed sauntering into the class and taking his seat. She could even hear some of the other students mumbling amongst themselves. Right then and there, she knew he was different from the others. After a pause she continued, "He didn't wear his accomplishments on his sleeve and was very friendly. He turned out to be one of the smartest students in the class. Behind me of course," Sloan added with a slight jovial nudge to his side.

Darien smiled at her, "Uh-huh, of course."

Sloan stared at Ed as the memory played out in her mind. She still missed Ann, her mentor, her friend. She wondered what Ann would have thought about everything that has gone on since the discovery. "Ann didn't hesitate to ask him if he wanted a job working in the lab after graduation. Ed once told me that she saw something in me, but I think she saw something in him too or else she would have never offered the position to him."

"She didn't care about the way he dressed? You know, not looking like a scientist and all." Darien glanced at Ed as he slept trying to picture him in his mind dressed in a white shirt with tie like Kevin. It didn't work and he quickly shook that image from his mind.

"No, not at all, I think she got used to it after awhile. It was a part of Ed's personality and she didn't want to change that. I'll never forget when Walter walked in a year later. He was surprised to see how Ed was dressed. It was pretty funny. Walter always has on a suit and tie and then there's Ed." She motioned to Ed with her hand when she mentioned his name. She and Darien laughed and then she looked at him, "What are you laughing about Mr. Vintage Man? You're just as bad if not worse."

"Hey, we are who we are." Darien returned.

Sloan patted him on his leg, "I'm going to see if Claire needs any help. Just keep talking to him, okay?"

Darien nodded in response, "Yeah, I will."

With a sympathetic smile, Sloan rose to her feet and left Darien alone with Ed.

Early the next morning, Darien was asleep on the chair next to Ed's bed. It was his day off and he decided to stay the night at the hospital. Darcy had put a blanket on him and kissed him lightly on his forehead. She looked at the two of them and smiled, "They both look so cute sleeping." Then her brow furrowed in sadness, "Please wake up, Ed."

Movement.

She rubbed her eyes wondering if she saw what she thought she saw. "Ed?"

His hand twitched again.

She shook Darien. "…nnnhhh…" his eyes squinted as he moaned.

"Darien wake up, I think Ed's waking up," Darcy said as she gave Darien another hard shove.

"Wha…really?" Darien shot straight up on the chair and moved it closer to Ed. "Hey, bro, you gonna wake up? I think your paid sick time is up."

"Claire." Ed's voice sounded raspy.

Darien and Darcy smiled at each other. "I'll get Claire," Darcy said. She patted Ed on his hand and then quickly left the room.

"She's comin'; she just went to get something to eat."

"Darien?"

"Yeah, it's me. Don't talk. Wait until Claire gets here." Darien watched as Ed shook his head slightly and then seemed to drift off back to sleep. It wasn't too long before Claire rushed into the room. She zipped across the room and to Darien looked like a blonde blur. Darien had never seen her move so fast, she probably out sprinted Tara who came into the room a few seconds behind her.

She grabbed a hold of Ed's hand, "Honey, I'm here." With her other hand she raked her fingers through his hair. "You woke up for Darcy and Darien, can you wake up for me?"

Ed could hear her, feel her, and sense her. He sensed her desperation, "Claire?"

"Yes."

"What…" Ed swallowed hard and it stung in his throat. His face grimaced in pain from the discomfort.

She patted his chest in reassurance, "I'll answer all your questions soon, but right now, I need for you to do something for me, okay?" She let go of his hand and pulled out her pen as she walked to the foot of his bed. Pulling the sheets off his feet, she prepared to run a reflex test. "Okay, hon, do you feel this?" She ran the pen on the underside of his foot. He shook his head as his foot reacted to the touch of the pen. Everyone smiled. "Good, okay now the other one." She repeated the process and Ed reacted the same way. She placed the sheets over his feet and back to his side. She rubbed his forehead. "You rest okay, and we'll talk later." Ed shook his head and drifted off to sleep.

"It worked," Claire announced enthusiastically, "Kevin and Tara's ideas worked."

"But we still have one more thing to do," Tara mentioned. "And the question is when?"

"Hmm…Kevin didn't really say. But I wouldn't do anything until he's up on his feet and walking. Then I'd feel better about giving him the genogenesis serum."

Darien sat somewhat relieved. Darcy sat next to him. She ran her hand down his arm to his hand and held it tight. He looked at Ed and then down at his hands. "You know the really strange thing about all this is? Kevin operated on him with my hands…my hands cut him open…but it was also my hands that put him here in the first place." He looked at Darcy with sad eyes, "I can't be trusted. Lewis can still get control of me. Damn!" He walked across the room with one hand on his hip and the other running through his thick mane of unruly hair. Darcy was right behind him. "Why is it that there seems to be something out there to control me? I mean, one time it was quicksilver madness and now it's Lewis."

"No, he can't. You were supposed to give that shot to Tom and you didn't. I can't imagine what would have happened if you did. And you were probably ordered to kill Ed and Sloan and you didn't. Lewis didn't have control of you and neither did you. But you know, when Ed was caught, you stayed with him. You could've run and left him, but you didn't even though he told you to. You know why?" She waited for his answer but he just stood there with a neutral expression. "Because you cared about him, you even asked Tom to take care of him. Even when Ed was all quicksilver crazy, he didn't try to hurt Claire, he was gentle with her. You have to believe when we tell you that it wasn't your fault. You're not a superhero. You went up against someone who has been trained by Lewis for years. She was probably trained in keeping her mind clear. You had no way of knowing what was going to happen and I order you to stop beating yourself up about it."

Despite his gloomy disposition, Darien half smiled, "Order, huh?"

"Yeah, order. Look, Ed's alive. According to Kevin, what happened to the gland was going to happen sooner or later. If you hadn't been given the shot, or bumped your head, or whatever caused Kevin to come back, who knows what would have happened. Things happen for a reason, Darien, and you have to understand that."

"But what if the serum doesn't work?"

"Then we'll cope with that and so will Ed. They're both strong and I'm sure Claire is already preparing herself for that. They'll be fine just like we are."

"Tom and Sloan."

"Yes, and Bobby and Tara. And who knows, maybe Ed will be a progeny too, just like you."

"We're in trouble." Darien stated sarcastically. Darcy chuckled and hugged her husband.

"C'mon, since Ed is resting again, let's go get something to eat for lunch. And I mean leave this place and eat some real food. It's bad enough it's a hospital but it's also a military hospital," Darcy quipped.

Darien shot Ed a worried glance and then back to Darcy. She gave him a scornful glare, "Darien, please. He's not going anywhere. Besides, Tara and Bobby are still here."

Darien heard the tone in her voice and one thing he was learning, you don't get between a pregnant dominant female and food. Besides, she was right. He needed to get away and refocus his thoughts. "Okay, let's go." He glanced over at Ed, "I'll be back, bro."

Later on in the evening as Claire slept on the other bed that had been placed in the room for her to sleep, Darien and Ed talked. "So…Kevin injected these biodegradable nano-scaffolds into my brain to act as a rebuilding bridge for the nerve cells. As the cells rebuild the scaffolds dissolve."

"Yeah, that's it, from what I understand. Have you heard of it before?" Darien asked.

Ed thought for a moment, "Yeah, I remember reading about it in one of my journals, but I didn't think…well, how did Kevin get his hands on it?" Ed was still a bit groggy but feeling much better.

"Actually, that was Tara. The dominants are way ahead in their nano technology."

Ed shook his head, "That I'm well aware of." He paused in a long thought. With his damaged nerve cells repaired, this proved they were far ahead of where the human scientists were at the moment. What else are they more advanced in? "It sounds like that they're taking their cues from human scientists…or they've been spying on us…er…I mean…" Ed dismayed, shook his head, "This is too weird. I know genetically I'm a dominant, but I think like a human. Talk about having a split personality. Is Walter sure I made it to 1.6?"

"Yeah, Sloan and Claire have run tests to make sure the conversion is holding. You're 1.6." Darien, not trying to read his mind, looked at him suspiciously. "Something wrong?"

"Well, I'm not sure, I mean, I've never been a dominant before so I can't compare, but…I don't know. My mind is like…" Ed paused searching his thoughts as he tried to come up with a comparison. "It's like…being caught in a wave under the surface…like being in a dryer…you tumble around…that's how I feel right now."

"Scrambled." Darien added.

"That's a good analogy too."

"Well, you've been through a lot and maybe your mind hasn't refocused yet. So, ah how does it feel?"

"Which feeling are you referring to, being a dominant or de-glanded?"

Darien smiled, "Both."

Ed let out a long sigh, "I don't know, it's not what I expected. It's strange…things are so different, emotions, colors, life in general…it's like things are for survival, you know, not for enjoyment. Like the flowers," Ed pointed towards the vase of flowers, "They're not pretty to me or I don't find comfort in them, all I see is something that was put here for survival…does that make sense?"

Darien shook his head, "Yeah, it does. I felt the same way." He shot a glance at the flowers, "Bees need them for their survival. Honey is a source of food, so yeah, it makes sense. The flowers depend on the bees for pollination and that sort of thing…so it's all relative. Like we depend on each other."

Ed let out a long sigh. After a pause, Ed pursed his lips in heavy thought. "I know…" He leaned his head back on the pillow and stared up at the ceiling as he released another long sigh. Somehow, someway he has to get Darien to understand that it wasn't his fault.

Darien's eyes studied him as a disconcerting expression appeared on his face. "Look, Ed, I'm sorry, this is all my fault."

Ed shook his head vehemently, "No, It's not. Claire and I talked about what happened and according to Kevin this was going to happen eventually. There was a flaw in Arnaud's design and actually…I'm the one that started the whole process. I should've been more careful and studied Arnaud's design closer. If I had, I would have seen the genetic flaw and prevented the breakdown, but I was careless. So you see, It's my fault …well, and plus Walter's boss didn't help by putting the gland through the Iron Man Triathlon." There was another long moment of stillness before Ed continued, "I don't remember a thing…" he said to break the heavy silence between them, "…All I remember is coming to the Agency from the airport, getting the water samples ready for testing and…I think you called me on the phone…that's all I remember and from what I've heard, I'm glad I don't remember."

"I don't remember much either. So, I uhm, talked to Claire about the gland in my head. She took some scans and…"

"I'm really sorry, Darien."

Darien glanced at Ed suspicious, "You know?"

"Yeah, we talked about that too and she showed me the scans. I should have given you the serum and found a way to remove the gland long ago," Ed said despondently. Now he was kicking himself.

Darien sighed, "Not your fault…now this is like playing tennis…we're hitting guilt trips to one another."

Ed smiled as did Darien. "It seems that way doesn't it? But, I didn't expect the gland in your head to intertwine as much as it has. I guess it did eventually evolve along with you. It's really become a part of you now. I honestly don't think we'll ever find a way to get the gland out."

"Yeah, lucky me." Darien decided for his own sanity to change the subject. "So, did you hear about Tom?"

"Yeah, I did. Tom is the leader of the Council of the Chosen and it's all because of us." Ed paused, "Well, actually, it's all because of Lewis." He smiled, "El Presidente…"

"Ah…the big Kahuna…"

"…El Hefe…

"…The Grand Poobah…"

"…The Big Cheese…"

"…The Head Honcho…"

"…The Big Wig…"

"…The Prime Minister…"

"…The High and Mighty…"

"…The Power that Be…"

"…His Majesty…"

"…The One…"

"…Top Dog…"

"…Numero Uno…"

"…Top Brass…"

"…Commander in Chief…"

"…CEO…"

"…Hail to the Chief…"

"Ugh! Will you two knock it off and get some sleep!" Claire rolled over and glared at Ed, "Especially you!"

Ed and Darien raised their brows to each other. "I guess I better go so you can sleep. I'll see you tomorrow," Darien said as he rose to his full height. He put his hand out and Ed took it. They shook hands, "Good to have you back."

Ed smiled, "Good to be back."

"Good night, Claire." Darien remarked as he walked by her.

"Good night, Dahrien." Claire's tone was a mix of relief and annoyance.

"Good night, babe." Ed pulled the sheet up and rolled over onto his side to face Claire.

She opened her eyes and could see the sparkle in his eyes again. She grinned, "Good night, hon." She watched as his eyes closed. She studied him as the day flashed in her mind. It started out with him still sleeping, but by the end of the day, he had been walking around with a little help from a walker. She had been astounded at how quickly he had healed. The dominants certainly do have an advantage over humans. The accelerated healing capacity of dominants was a part of their strength for survival. She only hoped that the information on the genogenesis serum that Tara took from Walter's boss worked. What she knew was that the serum had been tested on dominants that were born dominants, not on humans that became dominants. She wasn't sure if it mattered, but it was a variable that they didn't count on when the Limo Lady had her scientists perfect Ed's serum. She didn't know what to do. She decided that she would talk to Ed and Tara in the morning about running tests before giving him the serum. But as she was about to fall asleep, a question popped into her mind. Would Ed even want the serum?

Lewis watched as the young Kevin started his training for his meeting with Darien. Tabitha had failed, he had failed…again. The High Council was gone and his chances of molding his own Council faded away when the Chosen Council formed.

He glanced back at the young man and smiled as he tried to image Darien and Kevin locked in a struggle for survival. It didn't matter to Lewis who won the fight, either way, Darien would be destroyed. Either Kevin would kill him or he would be hurt in the process. And how would hurting a kid effect Darien? He believed he knew the answer. It would devastate Darien and that's what he wanted, Darien emotionally vulnerable to make his move.

TBC….


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Karl walked along the west gun gallery at Alcatraz as he surveyed the work being done on the old main cell house. He was pleased at the progress his workers had made. According to his time frame, the entire facility will be operational sooner than expected. And the best part was that the humans still hadn't noticed the upgrades that had been made. He was able to hide them within the old equipment and that helped them go unnoticed.

Karl turned to his assistant, "Let's go inspect the power house." The assistant nodded and followed Karl from the gun gallery. As they walked to the power house they were met by a group of human historians.

A man patted Karl on the back, "You're doing a wonderful job of restoring this site. Visitors will now be able to get a greater sense of what life was like here on the island for the inmates."

Karl smiled, "They certainly will."

A week had passed and Ed had shown remarkable improvement and showed no after affects of the surgery. Claire was amazed at how quickly he healed. She was ready to give him the genogenesis serum and to her surprise, he wanted it. She thought back to the discussion they had about it a few days ago as she stared at the syringe.

"Ed, hon…" Her tone was filled with apprehension and he could see the same look on her face. He could also sense the emotion and knew it had to do with him.

"I know, Claire…don't worry, I want to do this." After a moment of silence, he continued. "I had once experimented on Tom, it's only fitting that I use myself this time around. If we're going to see if this works on a human turned dominant then I'm the best choice we've got right now. We can't use this on Darien until we find out what Arnaud's cure did to the gland and Darcy is pregnant. So, let's do it."

Ed slid his card in and the door swung open to the Keep. He had to admit he liked being able to sense her emotion. But he was ready to get this over with. Claire looked up and smiled nervously. She put the syringe down and met him in the middle of the Keep. They hugged tightly for a long time. Ed knew that this could fail. The memories of what happened to Tom and the monkey was on his mind, but it was a chance he had to take. He broke off the hug and cupped her face gently in his hands. He bent down and placed a soft kiss on her lips. "I love you," he whispered.

A tear fell down her cheek, "I love you too." She watched him take his long sleeve shirt off and fling it over a chair. He didn't have to say anything to her; she knew that he was ready to go through with this. He sat down on the counteragent chair while Claire turned around to pick up the alcohol swab that was on the tray behind her. She glanced into his eyes worried. Fear flowed through her and she hesitated. He wrapped his long fingers around her hand and helped her clean the injection site. With a nervous hand she picked up the syringe and with her other hand, located the injection site on his upper arm. She looked at him and he nodded his head for her to continue. She inserted the needle expertly into the deltoid muscle and pressed down on the plunger. He leaned his head back on the chair and glanced at her, "Now we just wait."

The night was a long one. Claire had moved Ed to one of the other labs so he could be in a bed. At first he showed signs of exhaustion and then the fever hit. It went as high as 106 and Claire began to fear for the worst. Sloan and Tara had come in soon after Ed was given the serum. Sloan reassured Claire that the fever was normal but it wasn't much comfort for her.

Claire sat by him wiping his face with a cool rag. He had become delirious and had been mumbling incoherently for much of the night. At some point he stopped and fell into a deep sleep. She took his hand into hers and thought back to their wedding night.

It actually surprised her that he was willing to wear it, she figured it was all the champagne they had at the reception that made him open to this impromptu fashion show. The real surprise came when he found out that his own mother had made one of these _things _for him. She had saved their matching outfits for the finale. She had enjoyed his portion of the modeling as much as he enjoyed hers. While he dressed into his Tarzan outfit, she had changed into her Jane outfit.

The door swung open and Ed rushed out of the bathroom in the Tarzan loin cloth banging on his chest as he performed his version of the Tarzan yell. Claire laughed and shook her head, "Hail Ed, King of the Monkeys!" Ed stopped and then burst out laughing, "I get it…I work with monkeys, so…cute…very cute." He leapt onto the bed and gently pushed Claire down on her back as he covered her body with his.

She was suddenly shaken from her memory by a soft moan escaping from Ed's lips. She picked up the cloth and dipped it into the cool water. She ran it gently over his face. Tara came over and took some blood. Without saying a word she left Claire alone with Ed again and she stayed next to him for the rest of the night.

By morning the fever had broken. Tara took another blood sample and they were all waiting for the result. They waited for the confirmation of the DNA test. The question was would the conversion hold?

After a few tense quiet moments the test finished and 1.1% flashed in the upper right hand corner of the monitor. Ed was human. Claire closed her eyes in relief. Sloan let out the breath she had been holding and sat down. Darien and Hobbes gave each other a low five. Things were finally starting to go their way again.

Claire sat down next to him and took his hand into hers, "Hon, it's me, it's all over. You made it."

He stirred slightly and then opened his eyes. Claire gripped his hand tight. "Good morning, hon. How do you feel?"

"Like, I was in a wrestling match with the Rock."

Claire smiled. "That bad, huh?"

"I ache," came Ed's weak reply. "Did it work?"

She rubbed his pale stubbly face with her free hand, "Yes, it worked. You're the Ed Tate that I met long ago in the Keep. No quicksilver gland, a little banged up and 100% human."

Ed forced a tired smile, "That's good. Just do me a favor."

"Sure, what is it sweetheart?"

"If Arnaud calls me again…cut the line."

Claire leaned over and hugged him, "I promise." His arms wrapped around her tightly as if he didn't want to let her go. Darien and the others made a hasty retreat to leave them alone.

They broke off the hug. "Can you sit up?" Claire questioned as she backed away slowly to give him more room.

"Yeah, I think can. I'm thirsty too." Ed sat up and at first he was a little dizzy but his head cleared quickly. Claire handed him a glass of water and he nearly drank the whole thing in one large gulp.

"Easy there, hon, you'll choke."

"I can't help it." He let out a long sigh, "So far so good, huh?"

"What do you mean?" Confused, Claire glanced at him.

"The serum, so far it's holding up. We'll know if it does work in a couple of hours. That's how long it lasted on Tom…" Ed paused, looked around the room and then continued, "Let's go home."

Claire smiled and pulled the covers off of Ed, "Okay."

Once at home, Claire started a bath for Ed. That's all he wanted to do at the moment was soak his aching body in a hot bath. It was good to be back to normal, no gland, and human. Deep down inside he hoped that Arnaud was still alive so that he could ring the scrawny man's neck. As he laid in the tub he looked at his wrist and thought back to the months he spent as the second invisible man…or was it the fourth.

"There was Simon, Darien, Arnaud then me…so yeah, the fourth…"

"Don't forget about the Chinese woman…" Claire mentioned.

Ed turned to glance up at Claire. She came in with a glass of water in her hands for him. She set it down and sat behind him on the side of the tub and started to massage his shoulders. Ed grunted in approval.

"Feels good?"

"Oh yeah," came the deep throated reply. "But I thought she had a back pack, doesn't count. No gland, no brain surgery, no fear…oooh…yeah, that's the spot, right there."

"No premature invisibility…" Claire added.

"You got that right."

Claire stopped the massage and quickly disrobed and got into the tub with him. A devilish grin spread ear to ear on Ed's face. He pulled her close to him and kissed her passionately and it was at that moment the phone rang.

"Oh you have got to be kidding me!!!" They waited for the machine to pick up. It was Walter.

"Ed…I'm sorry to bother you after a long night, but we need you. We found a body. I need you to meet me. Please, you know I wouldn't ask you if it wasn't important."

Ed lowered his head, and let out a long irritated sigh. "Walter, your timing is impeccable."

Claire raised his head and kissed him lightly on his lips, "How about I go with you and then later we can continue the bath?"

He forced a half smile, "Sounds good."

Ed and Claire walked through the group of trees to where Walter was waiting. "I'm glad you came…this way." They followed Walter to the yellow tape. Ed took out his gloves and put them on.

"Okay, so what's the deal?" Ed asked he started to investigate the body. He pulled up the yellow tarp.

"A couple of kids were out here and came across the body."

Ed examined the body and the surrounding area, he then looked up at Walter and Claire, "Neck's broken…" he turned his attention to the body, "Okay, Claire, write this down for me…male…caucasian…approximate height…5'10…weight…150…brown hair…brown eyes…visible signs of a struggle…one hell of a struggle I might add…" Ed stopped to look around the body. "I don't think the murder happened here…the body was dropped here, but left right out in the open…we were meant to find it here…not where the murder actually happened. See, the area around the body is undisturbed, if there was a struggle here, we would see the evidence of it." Ed looked up at Walter, "This was recent, the victim hasn't been out here long at all. Can we take it back to the lab? I want to do an autopsy, DNA test…everything."

"That can be arranged." Walter signaled to the police officers to start making arrangements for the victim to be transported to the lab.

"Ed…who do you think this is?" Claire asked.

"The description fits Randal Lynch, but it's not him. I think this is why Walter wanted me to check this out. I'm wondering if he thinks this is the serial killer." Ed glanced back at Walter suspiciously, "He knows something about this."

Claire glanced at Walter and then back to Ed with a worried glance. "What if this is the serial killer?"

"Case solved. But then who killed him?" They both glanced at the body as it was prepared for transport.

Claire, Sloan and Walter assisted Ed in the autopsy of the victim. Walter and Ed performed the autopsy itself while Sloan ran the DNA tests and Claire looked for fibers or any tissue on the clothing.

The DNA sample finished and Sloan ran the sequencing test. After a few moments she came in with the papers in her hand to talk to Ed. "The victim is a dominant…and according to the tissue and semen samples from the victims…this is our killer."

Ed glanced at Walter suspiciously, "You knew didn't you?"

"It was a hunch," Walter answered and went back to his work.

Ed and Sloan shared glances and went back to their work. Claire had heard the exchange and shot Sloan a glance as she walked by. Claire went back to her work as well. She eventually found some hair fibers and some dried blood. After a few hours, she and Sloan had worked on those samples and had begun to compare the DNA to the samples they already had. In a matter of minutes, they had their match.

Ed and Walter were taking a break in Walter's office when Sloan and Claire rushed in. "You're not going to believe this. But we found a match to the evidence that Claire found."

Ed shot Walter a look and then turned his attention to Sloan, "Well, spit it out Sloan."

"Kevin Taylor."

"Kevin Taylor?" Ed paused thinking back to the little boy he met long ago, the little boy who attacked three boys much older and bigger than him. He killed the man who raised him as a son and then tried to kill Sloan; he turned out to be a progeny.

Walter leaned back in his chair. Ed looked at Walter with a neutral expression; he didn't know what to think. "It would appear that Kevin is back," Walter finally said breaking the silence.

"But why kill a dominant…" Sloan asked.

"The same reason why he killed the monkey…to prove himself…" Ed said.

"But to whom?" Walter asked looking at the three befuddled scientists in front of him.

"Okay, let me get this straight. You're saying that a fourteen or fifteen year old kid took this guy down?" Hobbes asked.

"Yes, but you can't think of this kid as a regular teenager. For one thing he's a dominant and he's a predator." Tom answered and then continued, "He was born of mixed parentage. His mother was human but his father was a dominant, that union may have altered his DNA. He has special capabilities like Darien. He can interrupt electrical impulses. He might have been a result of some experiment, to see what would happen if a human and dominant mated and produced a child. There's a chance that he's not the only one."

"Were you aware of any research being done when you were a Chameleon?" Claire asked.

"No, I knew very little of what my species was doing. The only thing I knew was my missions and that's it." Tom replied.

"Okay, the real question here is, why has Kevin showed up in San Diego?" Ed asked.

"Me."

All eyes turned to Darien. "Hey c'mon, it makes sense. It's what I would do. If he has the same abilities as I do then it would be an even match…sort of…I'm assuming he can't turn invisible, right?"

"That's correct," Tom added pacing around the room. He thought back to the night Kevin disappeared, how he said 'It's not over, Tom' and then jumped from the window. He knew he would be seeing the young boy again, just not so soon.

"So, maybe this Kevin kid is under Lewis' wing. I mean, Lewis knows he can't control me…we've seen that…"

"I think Darien's right," Tom interrupted. "Kevin killed the monkey to show he's truly one of us. He can pick out dominants, like you can Darien."

"Wait, I thought all youse guys have that special radar," Hobbes interrupted.

Tom partly smiled, "No, not like the way Kevin and Darien can read the neuro electrical impulses. We can sense when someone is coming or nearby and we usually can tell if they're dominant or human by the emotions or how they act. But with Kevin and Darien it's different. Kevin sought me out because he knew we were the same and hadn't said a word to him yet."

"Great, so now what do we do?" Darien asked.

"We wait." Tom looked at Darien with a curved brow.

"Wait for what?"

"For Kevin to come to you. He knows he can't just sneak up on you."

"Would Lewis send a kid to fight me?" Darien asked troubled by the idea.

"Yes, he would. If he knew it would upset you, throw you off. Darien, you can't think of Kevin as a kid, he's a killer, a predator, and he would have no problem killing you. If you let your emotions get the best of you…he'll take advantage of that," Tom said gravely. He was concerned that if Lewis was behind this, then what was his true motive?

Darien sat on the couch at home thinking about the revelation at the Agency. "There's no way I'm going to fight a teenager," he said sternly. "Damn it, Lewis…"

Darcy let out a long sigh as she stood at the base of the stairs. "Darien, you'll have no choice."

He glanced up at her, "What? How can you say that? How do you or Tom expect me to fight a kid…and don't give me this he's not a kid crap…he is to me!"

Darcy sat down next to him on the couch, she put a hand on his leg, "You have to stop thinking like a human. Kevin had no problem killing the man who loved him regardless of who his real father was and what he was. He also had no trouble beating up on those three boys and killing one of them. He nearly killed Sloan and probably would have gone after Ed and everyone else at the lab just to get back at Tom. He's a progeny, Darien, his instincts are to kill. I've seen progenies in training, you think Lynch is bad, he's a puppy compared to progenies. And if Lewis is behind this, he knows that you won't fight Kevin. I know this is hard for you, but survival of fittest starts with the young. Tom is right, if you show any weakness, Kevin will take advantage of that."

"Then I'll have to find another way," Darien said. "Tom said that Kevin will come for me when he's ready, I'll just have to find him before that and put an end to it before something happens that I'll regret for the rest of my life."

"It doesn't matter, he'll still fight you…" Darcy paused and she glanced at Darien. He slowly rose to his feet and walked to the door. "Darien…?"

"Stay here…" he replied as he opened the door. He stepped out into the darkness and calmly walked down the stairs. His protective instincts had kicked into high gear. He searched his surroundings and slowly descended the steps to the sidewalk below.

"Darien Fawkes."

Darien turned towards the voice as a figure stepped from the shadows. "I guess you're Kevin Taylor."

Kevin kept his distance. "I've heard so much about you. It's uncanny really, your likeness to Dr.Tate."

"Yeah, we get that a lot. So did Lewis send you here?"

"No..." Kevin looked around quickly and then turned his attention to Darien. "I just wanted to see you for myself. You know they fear you."

Darien smiled smugly, "Really?"

"Yeah, you're more powerful than you realize…we both are."

"Ah, I see, is this your version of join me and we'll rule the world invitation? Well, I'm not interested, I've been to that dance and I'm going to sit it out this time."

Kevin tried to interrupt Darien's impulses and failed. "Don't even try it, Kevin," Darien sneered as the quicksilver coated his body. He masked himself as he approached Kevin. Kevin frantically looked around but couldn't sense Darien anywhere. He felt something cold grip him tightly around his chest.

"You're in way over your head, kid," Darien whispered in his ear.

"I like a challenge."

Darien gripped the boy tighter, "Drop this, kid." He let the quicksilver flake off and turned the boy around, "You won't win."

Kevin smiled, "Oh yes, we will." He took off and Darien didn't go after him. He just watched him disappear into the shadows.

Darcy came down the steps. "What was that all about?"

Still looking down the street, Darien answered, "I have no idea. But one thing is for sure, Lewis is up to something."

"When is he not?"

"True." Darien wrapped his arm around her and they walked up the steps. They entered the apartment with Darien giving one last glance around the area and then he closed the door.

"He didn't want to fight. I think it was a test."

"A test?"

Darien picked up the phone to call Tom, "Yeah, to see what he's up against. I have a feeling he'll be back."

A few days later Ed was doing some work in his office. A knock at the door stole his attention away from the mound of paper work he needed to catch up on. Ed jumped up from his chair and rushed to the double door. When he opened the door he saw his friend standing there. "Tony! C'mon in."

"I got your message, what's all this about anyway?" Tony asked as he hugged his childhood friend.

"All kinds of stuff. It's good to see you again." Ed led the way to his office and offered Tony a chair.

"Still going on with this dominant business?"

"Yeah, and that's why I asked you to come. I've got something I need for you to take a look at."

Tony edged closer to the end of his seat. "You've peaked my interest. What'd you got?"

Ed rose to his feet, "The water I told you about, I think it might contain anti-sperm agents. But this isn't my field so I need you to help me with it."

"You got it, bro. Let's have a look." Tony followed Ed into the lab area and sat down at one of the microscopes.

"I went to Aberdeen to check out the sudden low sperm counts in men in the area. It just seemed strange that so many men would be affected. Most of the men there are healthy and there's no medical reason why they should be suffering infertility. I figured it had to do with the water. Now, the strange this is, all the men are affected differently."

Tony looked up, "Really?"

"Yeah, some men had deformed sperm, weak sperm, and no sperm at all or their count is just to low to effectively fertilize an egg."

"Hmmm…interesting," Tony commented peering into the microscope. "You have those samples?"

"Yeah, I do, hold on and I'll get 'em." Ed walked away for a moment, "I really appreciate you helping me with this," he said as he returned with the samples already on slides.

"You know how I feel about you being involved in all this, especially now that you're married. But I understand it and frankly I would probably do the same thing. So how can I turn down a friend in need?"

Ed handed him the slides. "So, ah, Eddie, how're the waves now? When I was here for your wedding they were primo."

"Boss…way boss."

Tony smirked, "Glad you haven't lost the lingo, bro. I thought hanging around with geeks all these years would change you."

"And what about you? You hang with geeks too."

"True." They shared a laugh and went back to work.

It took Tony and Ed a few days to come up with any results. They had worked long and hard in the lab to find answers. And when they did, it was like winning the Super Bowl.

"Eddie, this is amazing…I mean I've never seen anything like this," Tony commented as he strode back and forth in the lab as he read the printouts. Ed just gazed at him with a worried expression.

"It doesn't act like a typical anti-sperm agent, it mutates often…incredible."

"I'm glad you think so," Ed said nearly under his breath.

Tony heard and glanced at him sullenly. He hadn't thought about the ramifications, just the discovery. "I'm sorry, Eddie. I forgot what this means to you…to us."

"Yeah, it's okay, look I understand. It's a discovery and I know how exciting it can be. But don't expect to apply for a Nobel Prize on this." Ed paused to wait for answer from Tony and when it didn't come, Ed continued, "We need to prepare a report for Walter. We better get started on it and try to see if there's a way we can combat this."

Nearly a month had passed as Ed and Tony continued their research. Ed had found out that this was more complex than the nanites. They were dealing with something that was extraordinary and wanted to make sure all the variables were included. Along the way they provided Walter with reports but the main one would be a presentation to everyone, with the Official included.

Ed and Tony walked into the new briefing room to give their presentation on what they've discovered so far. They handed out folders to everyone and had tried to keep it in laymen's terms so that everyone could understand. Ed put the slides into the projector and Eberts turned out the lights when he saw Ed's signal that he was ready to proceed.

Darien turned to Hobbes, "We should have brought some popcorn."

"Shhh…" Claire said.

"Sorry, Claire."

Ed smiled. 'Mmm…popcorn…that sounds good,' he thought to himself as he was feeling a bit hungry at the moment. The mention of popcorn sounded good to him.

'See, that's what I thought.'

Ed turned sharply to Darien and glared at him. Darien turned away sheepishly, "Sorry."

Everyone shot Darien an irritated look. "Hey, look, I said was sorry. Geesh…tough crowd."

"I thought you had that under control?" Hobbes asked.

"I do, until I think of food or it's mentioned and then I can't help myself."

Tony rolled his eyes. It was amazing to him how much Darien reminded him of Ed. Ed could pack food away like his stomach was the bottomless pit. And the worst of all was how Ed would comment how hungry he was as they worked on a cadaver during their anatomy class. "Whoa...wait... Eberts...turn the lights back on. Not everyone is here, right?"

"Affirmative, the two fat men aren't here," Hobbes said.

"Darien, go grab a bag...it's okay...I also have to adjust a few slides....you have time." Tony said as he started to fix the slides.

"I'm gone." Darien hopped out of the room. A few minutes later, Darien returned with a couple of bags of popcorn and some bowls. Claire and Hobbes grabbed a bowl. Darien and Claire started to munch as Tony and Eberts fixed the slides.

Hobbes walked back to his seat. As he passed Darien, he smacked him upside his head, "Thanks, man."

"Ow!"

"Whoops...sorry QT...I thought I was just hitting hair."

Darien crinkled his nose, "QT???"

Eberts replied without looking up from the AV equipment, "Q-Tip."

"What?" Darien's tone was tinged with confusion.

Eberts straightened up like he was updating the team on a report, "QT as in Q-Tip...as in...your hair is piled on the top of your head...like a Q-Tip."

Hobbes nodded and smiled, "You're catchin' on there, Ebes."

Eberts smiled and went back to helping Tony. Tony smiled as he thought about the Q-Tip remark. Ed shook his head and Claire rolled her eyes and continued eating her popcorn.

Darien turned to Tony, "What are you laughing at?"

"Nothing."

"So sensitive....geesh..." Hobbes stretched out and yawned, "Ahhhhh..." A popcorn kernel whirled across the room right into Hobbesy mouth, gag!!" Hobbes put his hands to his throat as he started to choke.

Darien grinned, "Swish."

"Alright, alright, boys knock it off before we have a food fight." The Official stated as he walked into the room with Walter behind him and took his seat.

Hobbes grumbled as he picked up a handful of popcorn and was winding up to hit Darien, "Too late."

Darien smiled and began to quicksilver.

Claire yelled, "HOLD IT! Tony, are you ready now?"

"Yep."

"Let's get on with you and Ed. You two can fight later." Claire said angrily looking at Hobbes and Darien.

Hobbes sighed, "You, me, and the kernel..."

"...you're on...behind the bleachers after school...got it," Darien said as he reappeared.

Tony shook his head. "Okay Eberts...we're ready. Hit the lights." He turned to Ed, "Are they always like this?"

"Yeah, sometimes it's worse."

"Just like how we were in med school, bro."

"Okay, uhm…we're going to have to give you a quick lesson in biology here for you to understand better what's going on and I'm going to have Tony do that part." Ed stepped aside to let his friend give the lesson.

Tony let out a deep breath. "Alright," he clicked on a diagram of the male body. "Okay, I know this is a cause for laughter and an occasional giggle as well as embarrassment in mixed company but like Ed said, this will help you understand the situation we're facing."

TBC…


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

With a chart appearing on the screen behind him, Tony began the educational section of their presentation.

"Male fertility depends on the proper function of a complex system of organs and hormones. It begins in the hypothalamus-pituitary axis located in the brain, it's a system of glands, hormones, and chemical messengers called neurotransmitters, all of which are critical for reproduction. Now, the first step in fertility is the production of gonadotropin-releasing hormone or GnRH in the hypothalamus, which prompts the pituitary gland to manufacture follicle-stimulating hormone, FSH, and luteinizing hormone, LH. As you'll note in your files, the FSH maintains sperm production and LH stimulates the production of the male hormone testosterone."

Darien and Hobbes shot each other a glance. This reminded them of the sperm bank case where they walked out on Eberts presentation.

"I'm sure I don't need to go into where the sperm and testosterone production occurs so I'm going to skip that part." Tony clicked on another diagram of the testes. There were some giggles and the scientists in the room glared in the direction of Darien and Hobbes.

"I know, I know…but this could be a factor too. Not sure if it's related to what we discovered but low sperm count may also have to do with global warming."

"Wait, global warming can cause low sperm count?" Darien asked.

"Yeah, maybe…okay look, the testes are outside the body for a reason. The high body temperature would kill off any sperm produced. That's why men who are trying to get their wives pregnant should wear boxers…less heat…but here's some startling information." Tony began to read a report from one of his medical journals, "_Temperature and climate, then, may play some role in the differences seen from country to country and from year to year. In one study, Finland had the highest measured sperm count in the world, while Britain's was low. It should be noted that a more recent study has reported a significant decline in sperm count in Finnish men between 1981 and 1991. In another study, the sperm count in New York City was much higher than that in Los Angeles._" He set his journal down and continued, "As you'll note this report included surveys that were done over ten years ago…who knows what these numbers are now."

"And if the sperm count is lower in Los Angeles, maybe a similar experiment is being run there," Sloan added.

"Possible." Walter said without emotion while looking at some of the papers Ed and Tony included in the file.

Tony continued, "Sperm are manufactured in several hundred microscopic tubes, known as seminiferous tubules, which make-up most of the testicles. Surrounding these tubules are clumps of tissue containing so-called Leydig cells. And it's here, that testosterone is manufactured. I'm going to skip forward here and fill in as I go along. Sperm development is important. It takes 74 days for sperm to fully mature and it takes hormonal signals combined with a mechanical process. Anything that goes wrong during this process will affect fertility. And according to what Ed was able to bring back from Aberdeen, something is going wrong during this process in these men. I've been in practice for a long time and I have to say, I've never seen anything like this. In fact, I want to reevaluate my patients. But anyway, what I've discovered in these files is that it's not just the sperm we're talking about here. I found cases were the seminal fluid did not contain enough alkaline to protect the sperm from vaginal acid, the seminal fluid not having the right consistency, and or not enough sugar to provide energy for the sperm. The infertility in these men is wide spread. From a scientific point of view it's amazing. From a secret covert operation point of view, its intelligent planning, the more diverse the affects the less attention. But in this case, someone screwed up and word got out. Ed smartly put two and two together and revealed a very carefully thought out plan of attack."

Ed blushed; he didn't like getting the attention. He looked at Claire and saw her smiling widely at him. "Thanks, Tony. Now here's the how," Ed stated as he went into the explanation. "We were able to locate a bio-nanite like organism that is not known to exist."

"Oh you mean, like what Kevin put in you to…" Darien stopped when he noticed the sudden odd look from Tony. Even though Tony knew about his invisibility, there were still some things that he didn't know. What had happened to Ed was one of those things. Darien sheepishly lowered his head, "My bad, never mind."

Ed looked at Tony with raised brows, "Classified."

Tony put his hands up, "Not my business, and frankly, I don't want to know."

"Go on Dr. Tate, and no interruptions please," The Official barked.

"This bio-nanite apparently had been engineered to attack the entire reproductive system of men in different ways. Think of it as a computer virus that can mutate each time it's sent out. And we believe that it's even able to attack male babies in utero."

Everyone in the room replied in unison, "What? How?"

Ed and Tony took a step back. "Weird," came Tony's reaction to the well choreographed outburst.

"Yeah, there has been an increase in a rare condition called _Anorchia. _This is where a male baby is born without testes," Ed noted clicking to the next slide to show various physical abnormalities.

"Oh crap," Darien winced looking at the different pictures.

"What else, Ed?" Walter said.

Ed shook his head, "Other structural abnormalities are all laid out for you in the reports. There's even cases of retrograde ejaculations…and these men are healthy, no bladder or prostrate surgeries, no diabetes, MS or anything that would cause this."

Hobbes raised his hand, "Ah, what is retrograde ejaculations?"

"It's when the muscles of the urethra don't pump properly during orgasm and the sperm are forced backward into the bladder instead of forward out of the urethra," Tony answered. "The way to check this is to have the patient ejaculate and then give a urine sample so it can be checked for sperm."

Hobbes raised his brows and then folded his hands in front of him while placing his elbows on the arms of his chair. "They really don't want us to reproduce do they?"

"That's exactly the plan here, Hobbes. This one little organism is the cause of these different abnormalities whether it's physical, genetic and even chemical. There are cases in some men where the hypothalamus wasn't producing the GnRH hormome, which as Tony said at the beginning kick starts the whole male reproductive process, " Ed said as he held up one of the files he handed out. It's incredible how this bio-nanite is recking havoc on the male reproductive system as a whole."

"I have a question," Darien said raising his hand. "If you were able to stop the nanites in those kids, why use it again?"

"Actually Darien, I think it's in reverse. I believe this was started long before the juice box experiment. I have a feeling that they saw the success of the bio-nanite that they developed the immuno depressant nanites to use on the kids."

"So who knows what else they've developed since then?" Hobbes added.

"Exactly. I don't think we've even scratched the surface of their plans," Ed volleyed back.

"Then I'll have to find out," Tom added sternly. All eyes turned to him. "I can try to stop this. Bring it out in the open with the Chosen Council. They need to know."

"Can the Council stop these attacks?" Sloan asked.

"I'm not sure, but we won't know unless we try," Tom took his folder and headed for the door. He stopped and turned to face Ed and Tony, "I want to thank you both for all that you've done. You've put your lives on the line for this research. So, now I've got to try and finish it." Tom left in a hurry.

"I hope there's more like him," Tony said. He looked down at the clicker. "Should we continue?"

"I guess we should ask if there are any questions so far?" Ed asked.

"Have you figured out a way to stop this bio-nanite?" Claire asked.

"No, not yet. It can live in just about any condition. Unlike the nanites I found in the juice boxes these aren't running on electricity per say. And as far as the conditions in these men, it would appear they're irreversible."

Everyone looked at each other in dismay. It had seemed that the dominants had won this round.

"They can put these organisms in any water supply, which means that anything grown can have these organisms. And that's something else we haven't considered here. There's a possibility that these organisms can be consumed in food." Ed had a grave expression on his face.

"How's that?" Walter asked.

"Fruit and vegetables." Darien answered.

Ed shook his in agreement. "Very good, Darien."

"That's right, if it's in the water then it could also spread to our food source." Claire added.

"But what about meat?" Hobbes added.

"I doubt it, the high temperature in cooking would more than likely kill them off. It's the eating of fruit and raw vegetables that concerns me more." Ed looked at Walter, "I would like to run some tests on that theory, Walter."

Walter shook his head, "Let me know what you need."

"Where are these…bio-nanites…that you brought back with you, Dr. Tate?" The Official asked.

"Oh, they're contained and locked up. Oh and Hobbes, there were no organisms in the coffee, the water at the clinic had no visible signs of these nanites." Ed reassured Hobbes.

"You just read my mind there doc, thanks."

Ed smiled. "Anything else?"

"Yeah, I think it would be prudent if the men here went through testing. I want to make sure that we're not being affected." Walter announced. All the men in the room rolled their eyes except for Tony.

"I think that's a good idea." Tony offered.

"Walter, what's the point, if we are infected there's nothing we can do about it." Ed countered.

"If we're affected than we can find the source."

"I think it would be best to have water samples sent here from all the country for testing…but that brings me back to my point…there's nothing we can do about it."

Walter stood to his full height and looked at Ed. "Yet." He said as he walked closer to Ed. He put a hand on his shoulder, "I believe that you _will_ find a way." He looked at Tony, "Run all the tests you need." Walter walked out.

"Well, I for one want to make sure my swimmers are moving forward and strong so that the Bobby Hobbes DNA can continue…" Hobbes said as he used his hand to illustrate a forward motion.

"Now there's a scary thought," Darien quipped.

"Hey, I for one would love to hear the pitter patter of a little Bobby Hobbes."

"Yeah, but is the world ready for another Bobby Hobbes?" Darien shot back.

"Okay, okay, knock it off you two," Claire said raising her hands. "I don't think Ed and Tony were done with their presentation."

"Well, we have most of the stuff in the reports we gave everyone. You all could just read it and then ask us questions later." Tony answered.

"So, what was the final outcome of all this again?" Hobbes asked.

"The dominants are messing with the reproductive system of men and at the moment there isn't a thing we can do to reverse it," Ed said in the quickest way he could think of. Not for Hobbes but because he was tired and hungry.

"Fine. Now we're done?" Hobbes questioned. "Oh hey, so whatever happened to the three stooges that were helping them?"

"Don't know, they've disappeared after Walter contacted the government there and told them what was happening. When they went to question them, they were gone," Ed said as he gathered up his things.

"They're keepin' Hoffa company that's where they are."

"And I suppose you know where Hoffa _is_?" Darien quipped as he held the file in his hand to read later.

"As a matter of fact _I_ do, my tall friend, but I ain't tellin'," Hobbes opened the door and waited for Darien to walk out first.

"Hobbes, I _can_ read minds remember."

"You ain't gettin' this info, it's locked up way back in the secret recesses of Bobby Hobbes' mind," Hobbes noted pointed to his head as he spoke.

"Oh so what you're saying is I have to go where no man has gone before," Darien shot back as he walked out of the office.

"Exact-a-mundo, my friend." Hobbes noted as he followed Darien and started to close the door.

"Well, that should be a short trip." Darien was heard saying before the door shut cutting off their conversation.

The Official sat in the chair staring at nothing in particular. "Remind me to talk to his doctor about upping his medication."

"Ah, yes, sir, I will make a note of it," Eberts said turning the lights back on.

Ed worked late in the lab long after everyone had gone home. Working on the infertility research had put him back on other work he needed to do. Actually, he liked working late sometimes; it was quiet and best of all no interruptions. It certainly offered him the atmosphere to catch up fast. All he needed was a fresh brewed cup of coffee and he was set to work the night away. As the coffee brewed, he called Claire just to let her know that he was fine and was staying late to catch up on some work.

When his coffee was done, he poured himself a cup, took a sip and then let out a sigh. He placed the cup on his desk and headed out to the lab with a file in his hand. He took a seat at one of the microscopes and turned on the monitor. After putting on a pair of gloves and his safety glasses he inserted a slide and adjusted the lens. He checked the monitor to make sure it was showing what he wanted to look at. He adjusted the slide some more. Satisfied, he took his gloves off and opened the file. With a pencil in hand, he began to jot some notes down as he mumbled to himself every now and then.

The doors to the lab burst open. Men in dark suits rushed in. Ed barely had time to react to the sudden intrusion when he felt a sting in his shoulder. "Why me?" he said as the drug took affect. But this was different, it only made him weak. Two of the suits moved towards him and bound his hands behind his back.

"Who…are you?" Ed questioned in between pants.

They didn't answer and escorted Ed out of the building. A black limo pulled up and Ed's heart skipped a beat. He looked around to see if anyone was around but his vision was blurred, like he was looking into a kaleidoscope. The door opened and then Ed was helped inside. He was seated on one of the plush seats.

"Le bon soir, Dr. Tate." The voice spoke from the darkened back of the limo.

Ed tried his best to focus. "Who are you?"

A figure leaned forward from shadow…a woman. "Remember me?"

Ed studied her for a moment. "Yeah, I do…Sharon."

She raised a brow, "Good," she rose to her feet and moved to sit down next to Ed. "I'm sorry I had to take such drastic measures but I need some information." She put a hand on his thigh.

He looked at it, "You gave me truth serum?"

"Oiu."

"You know, it may make me talkative, but not necessarily honest."

"Ah…you're talking about sodium pentothal. But that's not what I used on you. It's a Chrysalis formula, one that your government has been trying to discover. Now, tell me, what are the dominants up to?" She began to rub his thigh.

Ed tried to fight it, the drug, the sensation of her rubbing his thigh. His body broke out into a sweat.

"Don't fight it, Dr. Tate…give into it," she whispered in his ear when she moved closer to him.

He tried to scoot away from her. But there was a slight problem, the commands from his brain to the rest of body was not functioning. "They're…" he forced himself to stop.

"_They're_ what?" Her hand snaked underneath his shirt. Her fingers went on an exploration of his abs. "Mmmm…so delicious."

He swayed on the seat like a drunk. The drug was working in him stronger. He looked at her. 'It's her…and the drug…must be…chemical interaction…the drug and the stimulation…' he was trying hard to concentrate, but found it increasingly difficult.

"Tell me, Dr. Tate, we've got all night…" she moved her hand up towards his pecs.

He swallowed hard, "They've developed a bio-nanite."

"Hmmm…for what?" She pushed his shirt up to expose the tanned skin underneath.

"It causes infertility in men. We discovered it in the water supply. They're goal is to make human males sterile." He hissed when he felt her tongue touch his fiery skin.

"Clever. I wonder why we didn't think of that. What else?" She straddled his thighs and began to place feathery kisses on his chest.

"There's a boy, named Kevin Taylor, we think he was sent by Lewis to fight Darien…he's what they call a predator." Ed closed his eyes.

"Interesting, but no matter. Darien is no longer a concern for us…but…" her tongue outlined the curves of his pectoral muscles. "But you on the other hand, can help us." She leaned back and cupped Ed's face in her hands, "Join us, Ed. Become a part of us and help us fight the dominants. If you do I can offer you and your wife protection."

"What about my friends?"

"The offer is good only for you and Claire."

Ed shook his head vehemently, "No. No deal."

Sharon covered his mouth in a brutal kiss. Her tongue forced entry into his mouth. After a few moments she broke the kiss panting. "Why? I'm offering you protection."

"No, you're not. I know what you people want. You're no different than the dominants. Do you really think I would betray my friends and join you?" Ed caught his breath and continued, "The real deal you're offering me is to help you not only destroy the dominants but everyone else as well. If war does come, it's what you want _isn't_ it? All your organization would have to do is sit back and wait for the outcome and then destroy what's left. A war would only help you in your own agenda for world domination. A war between humans and dominants may wipe out half the world's population…making half your problem solved..." Ed glanced at her, "You can stop me anytime…or are you going to kill me now since by your silence I can only assume I'm close or on the mark." Ed waited for her answer.

"You're smarter than we thought, Dr. Tate. But no, I won't kill you."

"Oh…so, what now…you're going to turn me into an Ed-sicle again?"

She smiled at his description of the cryopod and its function. "No, we still may need you."

"I see. You know, the drug and your seduction is causing some kind of a chemical interaction in my brain to react the way I did to your 'truth serum' but it only makes me answer questions, it won't make me do what I don't want to do. That's a different kind of brainwashing. So, if you're not going to kill me or freeze me…can I go now? Or do you have more questions?"

"Would you like me to ask more questions?" She asked him as she started to kiss him on his chest again, but this time more passionately. She hoped that by doing this he would give in to the seduction and answer yes. He was intelligent and strong; a perfect candidate for the Chrysalis reproductive program, all she would need is a semen sample from him.

Ed wanted to say _yes_ to her question, but he didn't want to give into the seduction. He was married and pledged his love to one woman…Claire. "No, like I said, you can't make me do what I don't want to do."

"As you wish," she placed a hypo syringe to his neck and pressed the plunger. Ed let out a groan and then his head rolled back. "I wish you well, Ed," she whispered in his ear before giving him one last kiss.

The limo pulled up to the side alley next to the Harding Building. The door opened and the suits helped take Ed's unconscious form out of the car. They opened the door and carried the scientist back up to the lab. They placed Ed back on the chair, rested his head on the counter and removed the cuffs. They also placed the file on his lap in attempt to make it appear he had fallen asleep while working. The hypo contained a chemical that caused amnesia. Ed will wake up not remembering a thing that happened.

Sharon gave the building one last look and then rolled up her window. She knew something was coming on the horizon; it's what they had been preparing for. And it would be something that would change the world…forever.

TBC…


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

_A few months later…_

Ed was just about to leave for the night when he was called into Walter's office. He walked in apprehensively not knowing what was going to happen because the tone in Walter's voice showed that he was upset. "What's up, Walter?" Ed questioned trying his best to hide his uneasiness.

Walter glanced at Ed through the top of his glasses. He didn't like telling Ed what he had to tell him, but he had to think of the safety of everyone involved. Ed had worked hard on his research…a little too hard. He took a deep breath and prepared for the onslaught of the Ed Tate outburst of fury. "Ed, sit down."

Hobbes and Tara were enjoying a romantic candle light dinner together. Since the two had started dating, there had been a change in Hobbes. He never knew that he could love someone as much if not more than Vivian. Deep down inside for a long time, he had felt that he still had a chance with her, until Brock came along and they got married. Then along came Claire, but because of his no fishing off the company pier attitude, he didn't pursue her as much as he wanted. His feelings about Vivian had also gotten in the way of that. One of Hobbes qualities is his loyalty, he's loyal until the end and probably would have stayed single. He married Viv and to him, they were still married.

But now he was sitting across from someone that came into his life unexpectedly. Isn't that the way it happens? And it was because of someone who had caught the attention of Claire, Ed Tate. That surprised him more than anything. After it's all said and done, he had Ed Tate to thank or actually Arnaud. Strange how life works out.

He reached his hand across the table and Tara took it. The candle light twinkling in their eyes as the soft music played in the background. Hobbes spoke first, "I don't know what the custom is with you but…here I go." He took a deep breath and got up from the chair. He knelt down on one knee in front of her. She eyed him suspiciously not really sure what was going on. He took her hand into his again. "Tara, I know that I could never ask your father for his blessing cause I'm sure the whole inter-species relationship thing is a no-go with him, but…I love you. I haven't loved anybody this much in such a long time. I'm no Michelangelo statue, I'm short, bald and obsessive…and will probably drive you as nuts as I am, but I know we can make it work. I want to make it work." He looked down at the floor, "God, I'm awful at this…what I'm trying to say is…Tara, will you be my wife…mate…whatever you call it." He fished around in his pocket and pulled out a box. He opened it up and removed the ring as he waited for her answer.

She looked down in complete surprise. She had heard about this human custom but she never seen it performed before. The human male actually humbles himself before his love. How fascinating. She placed her hand on his head and moved her hand down to his cheek as she spoke, "To me, you are a Michelangelo statue. You're strong, courageous, and loyal. A book isn't interesting solely by it's cover, it's what's inside that keeps you reading. And it's what's inside of you that has kept me by your side. I love you, Bobby and yes, I accept your proposal, I will be your wife."

Hobbes placed the ring on her finger. They stood up and he lifted her off her feet. They kissed passionately as he walked to the bedroom with his bride-to-be in his arms.

Ed sat on the back porch with a beer in hand. The ocean rolling up on the shore was the only sound he heard. That is, until he heard the squeak of the chair next to him when Claire sat down with a cup of tea in her hands.

"You going to tell me about it?" Claire asked.

Ed let out a long breath before taking another long sip. "I've been ordered to stop my research on the origins of the dominants."

"Why?"

He looked at her with a neutral expression. "I got too close."

"Really?"

"Yeah, so close that I could have put everyone in danger…not that we're not, we are, but it could have been worse."

"For who?"

"The Government."

There was a long uneasy silence between them. Ed's theory obviously had been proven or he had gotten too close to the truth and was about to expose something that had meant to be buried. Claire believed the latter.

"I had found two more cases of a match besides me. I decided to do a little genealogy research to see if I could find any family records like birth or death certificates, I checked the Social Security Death Index, missing person reports…anything."

"What did you find?"

"Nothing."

"Nothing?"

"Yeah, just like Walter."

"I don't follow."

"When Walter found us in the desert with all his toys that obviously didn't come from the University, Sloan went to Ray when he was still with the Police Department to find out anything he could on Walter. Ray had one of his FBI buddies do a background check on him…he found nothing. Technically speaking, Walter Attwood does not exist."

Claire's eyes widened, "Ed?"

"I know. At first he told us that he was there because the government needed to be kept apprise of any new developments."

"But you worked in the Life Sciences Department. That's a little odd."

"Yeah, that was my thinking. What would be so important about a lab in the Life Sciences Building…but of course now I know why he was there. But listen to this, after I did a genealogy search, I found a family name. Eberts ran another check and now the family doesn't even exist. Without Walter knowing I asked my father about his family."

"Ed, you didn't?"

"I had to find something, Claire. My father's family isn't very close, but there's a rumor about a distant cousin who was in the service. The family never saw him again and then the family disappeared."

"Ed…"

"Yeah, I think it might be about Lewis. But according to my father, it sounds as if that part of his family never even existed."

Claire paused in long thought. She studied Ed for a moment and the realization hit, "Witness Protection?"

"That's what I'm thinking. For whatever reason, maybe the Government put these families into the program. Look, we know that Tom took his identity from another person. Tom doesn't even know what his real name is. I think when the dominants left the village they changed their identities. I don't know how they worked around fingerprints, but they did something to give themselves new lives. They have no possessions so it's easy for them to move around, they're masters at blending in."

"We may never know that side of the story, but the questions is how? How did this happen?"

"We know that the village was occupied nearly sixty years ago right?"

"Yeah."

"Okay, I did some research on the second world war. There were some Nazi scientists and doctors that were using people as experiments for genetic research."

"Yes, they were attempting to create a master race…

"…and or to study evolution among other things. They believed that they _were_ the master race. What if some of them were doing research to find a way to alter a person's DNA?"

"You don't think?"

"Yeah, I do. Listen, many of those scientists were tried but never convicted. After they were released they disappeared."

"You think our Government snatched them up."

"To continue their research, but this time for the good ol' US of A."

"Ed, do you realize what you're saying?"

"Yeah, which is why Walter wanted me to stop. Claire, I believe I may have found the answer. When I asked Walter how close I was he said 'Too close'. I think they used these Nazi scientists to continue their work and instead of using prisoners they used volunteers from the military."

"Like Simon Cole."

"Just like Cole. They probably used the strongest, brightest…you know like the Astronaut program in the sixties."

"But genetics was young then."

"I know, that's the troubling aspect of this. How far along _were_ the Nazi scientists in mapping the human genome? We don't know for sure. It was primitive compared to what we can do today but they were still able to find pure Aryans. Did they go by birth certificates alone or did they have some kind of a genetic test? I have a feeling that there's more we don't know about."

"God, Ed, what did we do?"

"This is like those Terminator movies except instead of creating robots we created a master species."

"Why?"

"It could have been something completely innocent and then something went wrong…terribly wrong. It must have happened over a period of time. I mean they still had time to carve the column and bury it deep in the desert."

"The Nazis believed that they were the superior race. That means that belief may have been a strong influence during their conversion."

"That's possible. It may not be an inherited gene but an inherited way of thinking. Like babies aren't born racist, they're taught…wait, but we know that pitbulls are bred to be aggressive, maybe, just maybe…we have the same thing here. They've bred themselves to be aggressive."

"Can humans alter breeding to be aggressive?"

"With the right variables, altering the DNA, gene therapy…maybe it's possible. There's still so much we don't know about dominants. At one point, Kelly became aggressive and so did Darien. Darcy also showed signs of aggressiveness. Maybe whatever happened in the desert altered their…" Ed stopped and looked at Claire.

"The amygdala!" They said in unison.

"It all goes back to two glands the shape of an almond in our heads doesn't it?" Ed asked shaking his head. He felt a reassuring hand on his shoulder. He turned his head and partly smiled at Claire.

She brushed the stray strand of hair from his face with a feathery wave of her finger, "You've done something incredible here, Ed. I'm proud of you."

"Yeah, well, I won't be up for a Nobel Prize though. All my research is gone."

"Well, I'll miss out on two of those, so we can keep each other company."

"Hmmm…keeping each other company, I like the sound of that."

"Dr. Edward Tate…what do you have in mind?"

"Like you need to ask."

Claire and Darcy had gone out shopping for baby furniture. Darien and Ed were at the apartment watching _"Signs"_ waiting for them to come home. Hobbes had agreed to pick up the boxes of furniture in the van and followed the ladies home. They had been gone for hours and actually Darien was grateful that Darcy had talked him into staying home. She knew that he would have been bored and miserable. Plus it was going to be the men's job to put the furniture together anyway.

Hobbes backed the van up as Claire and Darcy walked into the apartment. What they saw was something they didn't expect. Darien and Ed sitting on the couch with foil hats on their heads. The girls looked at them oddly.

"This is so that the aliens can't read our minds," the two men replied in a serious tone.

Darcy and Claire started to laugh. "Maybe I should make another motorcycle helmet for you, Darien." Claire paused, "You know, that might keep you from reading our minds."

"I can't help but laugh at these two. You guys are good…real good…too good actually." Darcy stated as she put down a bag she was carrying. Darien got up to go through it and see what she bought. "Hey, you can look at that stuff later, go help Bobby with the boxes."

"Boxes?"

"Yes, boxes, we are having twins you know so I had to get two of just about everything."

Darien and Ed headed out to the van and the three of them began bringing in the boxes. They took them up the stairs to the room that will soon be filled with the sounds of baby talk. Claire and Darcy retrieved some snacks and drinks from the kitchen to sit down and relax.

Later on in the evening, Darcy and Claire decided to go and check on the progress that Darien and Ed were making with putting the cribs together. As they approached the door they heard Ed exclaim in frustration. "I have a Ph.D. for God's sake, why am I having such a hard time with this crib!?!"

"It's all about having the right tools, my friend," came Darien's helpful reply. There were sounds of rustling as Darien searched the floor for something. "Here, try this."

Claire covered her mouth to stifle her laughter. Darcy glanced at her, "Guess things aren't going all that well."

"Maybe we shouldn't interrupt."

"I think that's a good idea." They left Ed and Darien to fight with the furniture.

After another hour had passed the men came down stairs. Claire looked up at them, "Everything okay?"

"It is now," Ed replied relieved and somewhat irritated. Claire wiggled her brows at Darcy.

"You guys done?" Darcy asked not sure if she should.

"Oh yeah, we're done." Darien rummaged through the fridge to find a couple of beers. He handed one to Ed. They removed the tops and tapped their bottles together. "Here's to job well done," Darien smirked.

"Thank God," Ed retorted as he took his sip. The two men joined the ladies in the living room. They were watching a tape of their wedding.

"Oh please, can you fast forward through this part?" Ed requested with embarrassment in his tone.

"Oh heck no!" Darcy answered adamantly, "I love this part." She started to laugh. Ed covered his face with a pillow.

"I think they planned it so that as soon as we came downstairs this part would come on," Darien retorted as he watched the tape.

Claire put her arm around Ed, "Oh come on, honey, you looked so sexy doing this. You know you're not that bad of a dancer."

"I don't know how I did this." With his face still buried in the pillow, Ed's reply was muffled.

The tape was showing the part of the reception where the men did a dance for guests. Darien and Ed along with Hobbes, Ray, and Tom had choreographed a dance to Will Smith's _Men in Black. _The whole idea to do this for the brides was the result of their bachelor party and actually to Darien's surprise, Tom wanted to get involved. Neither of them thought they would actually go through with it.

When the music had started, they put on Ray Bans then formed a straight line as they danced and acted out various parts of the song to the cheers and whistles of the guests.

When the dance number was over Darien retorted, "Well, at least we didn't decide to act out _The Full Monty_."

"No, but you did that for me in private," Darcy commented as she wiggled her brows. And then she stopped suddenly. Glancing at her in concern, Darien put his hand on her shoulder.

"Are you okay?"

Claire and Ed traded glances and then Ed moved forward on the couch.

"I felt something…I think it was a contraction."

Darien looked at Ed for help. "Darcy, how did this contraction feel compare to the Braxton Hicks contractions you've been having lately?" Ed asked as he moved to kneel in front of her.

Darcy shook her head, "Different. This was stronger and I felt it towards my back."

Ed let out a long sigh, and then he glanced at both Darien and Darcy. "Okay, look, remember when I told you guys the other day about the Braxton Hicks contractions and that they prepare the body for true labor. Well, Darcy the contraction you just had could be the start of true labor."

Darien shot up, "Shouldn't we go to the hospital now!?!"

Ed stood up and placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "No, not yet. What I want you guys to do now is to time the contractions. Let me know when and if you have another contraction. When they're at least five minutes apart or your water breaks that's when we'll go. Until then, just remain calm and make sure that your things are packed which they should be already. Okay?" He watched as Darien shook his head nervously and sat back down again.

Darcy glanced up at Ed, "My things are packed and are in the car already."

"Okay, good. Let's just wait and see what happens." Darcy nodded that she understood. Ed continued, "Good, so ah…let's go back to watching me make a fool of myself."

Darien couldn't concentrate, all his focus was on Darcy and his impending fatherhood. Was he ready? He had to be, he had no choice. What kind of a father would he be? Better than his own he hoped. A soft tap to his leg broke him from his own question and answer session within in his own mind. He turned to the source of the tapping and saw Darcy glancing at him with concern. "Yeah, babe."

"You'll be fine." Darcy smiled and gripped his hand tight. "I believe in you."

"God, you make it sound like I'm in a Peter Pan movie."

"Then, just think happy thoughts."

A long ten minutes passed and Darcy felt another contraction. "Ed…I had another one and it was the same as the other."

"Okay, I'm going to call Tara and let her know what's going on so she can be on standby. We still have time so no one panic okay, Darien?"

"Yeah, right, no panic, no fear…oh crap."

Ed and Claire chuckled at Darien's attempt to regain composure. Ed pulled out his cell phone and spoke with Tara. After a couple of hours of timing Darcy's contractions, they were now five minutes apart. Ed phoned Tara and told her to meet them at Fort Leavitt Hospital.

A couple of hours had passed and Ed had gone to Fort Leavitt to get things ready while Claire stayed with Darcy. Darien called him and told him that Darcy's contractions were five minutes apart for the past thirty minutes, Ed told Darien to bring Darcy in. Ed in turn called Tara and asked to come to the hospital. Darien became nervous and Claire drove them to the hospital. Darien sat in the back with Darcy to help her through the contractions.

Once at the hospital, Darcy was taken to the labor room where Ed and Tara were waiting. Darcy changed into a hospital gown so Ed could examine her. "Sorry, Darcy, if this bothers you. Okay, you're 80% effaced and you're about six centimeters."

"What does all that mean?" A nervous Darien asked.

Ed smiled at him, "It means that by morning, you'll be a father."

"Oh crap."

Claire put a reassuring hand on Darcy, "You're moving very fast."

"Guess that's a dominant trait," Darcy quipped as another contraction was coming on. Darien rushed over, held her hand and coached her through her breathing. Once the contraction ended, Ed continued.

"Okay, so I've got a question for you. Your water hasn't broken, so I can either send you out for a walk and hope the water breaks naturally or we can give you the epidural and break the water for you, which do you want?"

"Give me the drugs," Darcy calmly answered.

Ed smiled, "I thought so. Okay, so, let's get ready to have some babies."

"What? Now!?!"

Claire patted Darien on his back, "Yes, now."

After Darcy was given the epidural, Ed ruptured her water. Now the contractions were coming on strong and in just a matter of hours, she was ready. Ed put on a gown and pulled up a stool. Darien took his place beside Darcy as Claire and Tara helped Ed.

"Okay, Darcy, when you feel like you need to push let me know."

"Right now!" Darcy replied strongly.

"Okay, push…that's it…push…"

Darien counted for the duration of the contraction. She squeezed his hand tightly, but it didn't bother him at all, he was too busy concentrating on his wife to care.

"Good, Darcy, you did real good. I want you to do the same thing when another contraction starts," Ed commented as he waited.

After an hour of pushing, Ed could see a tiny head, "Okay, Darcy, keep pushing I see a head…"

"With lots of hair…" Tara commented.

"I'm not surprised…" Darcy said through gritted teeth as the tight grip around his increased. Darien took a peak and a smile spread across his face. He bent down to kiss Darcy, "I can see it."

Ed helped Darcy by giving her an episiotomy and the head easily slipped out. Claire handed him the suction bulb and he quickly suctioned out the mouth, "Okay, Darcy, the head is out. One more big push…and…" Ed worked the shoulders out and within seconds the baby was out. "Its' a girl!!" Ed exclaimed.

Darien gripped her name tightly, "A girl, we have a girl," he kissed her cheek and she kissed him back.

"Okay, dad, time for you to do the honors." Ed held the baby in his arms as Darien cut the cord. Ed handed the baby off to Claire. Darien watched as Claire put the baby down on the table to clean her up.

"Okay, we still have one more." Ed announced.

Another thirty minutes of hard labor and the head of the second baby was cradled in Ed's hands. "Okay, head's out…big push again, Darcy." Ed wiggled his fingers around the shoulders and helped the baby out. "It's a boy!!!"

Darien bent down. "I love you, babe," he said looking at her. He raised himself up to look at his son. Darien cut the cord and Ed handed the baby off to Tara this time. Claire came back with the baby girl and handed her to Darien. At first he didn't know what to do, but the instincts kicked in and he took her into his arms. He sat down next to Darcy so she could see her too.

"She's so beautiful," she said.

"Just like her mom."

By the time Ed finished with Darcy, she had her son in her arms. They both had quieted down and were resting peacefully. Ed walked over and Darien shook his hand, "Thanks, Ed, for everything."

"You're welcome. It had been a long time since I delivered babies, it was a nice feeling to have again. I'm going to go and check on a room for you. A nurse has been cleared for you on each of the shifts. Darien, you've been given permission to stay in the room with Darcy and the babies too. I think Walter had something to do with that."

"So, what are their names?" Claire asked.

"The girl we're going to name after my mother, Caroline Marie Fawkes. And the boy will be named after Darcy's grandfather and you, Ed."

Ed stopped jotting in the file and looked at them with surprise, "You're kidding me right?"

"No, his name is Daniel Edward Fawkes."

"I don't know what to say."

"Ed is at a loss for words…how 'bout that." Darien quipped.

"You know, to be honest, I hated my name growing up…other kids used to call me _Eddie Munster_…until I became taller then them in Junior High," Ed finished with an uncomfortable laugh.

"Well, those kids were idiots. Edward means 'wealthy guardian' and we couldn't think of a better name than that. You've been our guardian and the babies through out this pregnancy, Ed. Like Darien told you, we didn't trust anyone else and we knew that Claire couldn't do it alone with all that she has to do. You both have been great." Darcy said.

Ed and Claire smiled, "Well, thank you for believing in my skills as a doctor with something as important as this. Here's what's going to happen, I want you two to bond with the babies. You have an hour and then I need to take the babies need to go for their screenings. Very routine and nothing to be afraid of, it's just mainly blood work up, a hepatitis B vaccine and a vitamin K shot for clotting." Ed added quickly. "As I suspected, their APGAR scores were very good. They both scored a nine which means nothing more than they're breathing on their own, heart rate is good, skin color is normal, muscle tone is good, and reflexes are good. It's not an indication of how they'll do on SAT's. And then when you're settled in your room, and the babies are done, then we'll bring them back to you. I'll be back from time to time to check on you, Darcy, to see how you're doing."

"Okay, Ed." Darcy said as she and Darien began to bond with their babies. Once she was in her own room and the newborn tests were done, Ed gave the okay for the babies to be brought in. A private nursery was set up in their room so that the babies could be watched closely. Tara agreed to stay for as long as she could.

Ed and Claire left them alone to let the new parents to continue bonding with their babies. Ed went back to running the tests he wanted to perform. He performed the DNA sequencing and it confirmed what he thought, the babies were 1.6%. When the babies are a little older, he wanted to do an ultrasound on the girl to see if she had four uteruses. It was a simple test and one that would answer one of his questions. Did the second generation females during fetal growth develop with four uteruses?

A few weeks later, Ed lay on his stomach as he slept. It was Saturday and all Ed wanted to do was sleep in. Claire was already up and had showered. She glanced at the clock, she smiled, it was time to wake her husband up and get him out of bed…or was in bed where she actually wanted him? She covered her mouth to stifle the soft giggle. Gently, she drew back the covers so she wouldn't wake him up and then gently laid down on top of him. With soft lips, she began to kiss his back with feathery kisses. Her hands moved to his sides. Her fingers began a exploration of his sides by moving up and down slowly.

He stirred a bit and moaned deeply in his throat. She took his ear lope into her mouth and suckled gently. His hips shifted position as he tried to roll over but the weight of her body prevented him so he gave in to the wake up call.

"Good morning, hon," She whispered in his ear.

"Morning, babe." He groaned again when he felt the warmth of her body on top of his.

"You like this?"

"Yeah, feels good…mmmm."

Claire lifted herself up, "Then roll over."

He did and he looked at her, "What have you got in mind?"

"Hmm…I've got something to tell you."

"What?"

She held up a pair of booties. He looked at them with a questioning gaze. He took them into his hand and studied them some more. Without saying a word he looked at Claire with amazement. She shook her head answering his silent question. He sat up quickly and roller her over unto her back.

"Really?"

"Yes," she answered him with a smile.

He leaned down and kissed her gently at first and then he glanced at her again lovingly. He kissed her again but more passionately. After a few moments he broke the kiss and started to trail kisses down her neck to her chest in between her breasts through her shirt. He continued his downward trek until he reached her lower abdomen. Pulling her shirt up, he placed soft kisses on her belly as she giggled. His stubbly chin was tickling her, but she didn't mind, she didn't mind it at all.

Across town, Sloan and Tom were having breakfast. He glanced at her, studying her for a few moments and then he broke the heavy silence. "Sloan, I'm good at this and I'm not even sure if I'm doing this right. I didn't consult with Ed or Darien but I've seen it on TV and in the movies…"

Sloan shook her head as if shaking cobwebs from her mind. "Tom, what are trying to say?"

He let out a long sigh. He reached across the table and took her hands into his, "I didn't prepare myself, but I feel I should do this…"

"Tom?"

"It's okay. You changed my life and that I will be forever grateful for. You taught me so much about myself and allowed my true self to surface. That time when I was human, I understood my feelings that I have for you. And I meant it when I said I would give all this up to be human again…"

"Well, we know it worked on Ed…so maybe…

Tom shook his head, "Let me finish. That's when I knew how much I loved you…I should have done this long ago and I know that we agreed it was best, but…I want…will you marry me?" He waited for her reply. When she looked at him in shock he lowered his head, "I know, not exactly what I had in mind…"

She squeezed his hand. "No, Tom, it was perfect…I love you, and my answer is yes."

Earlier in the evening, the men sat around the large green table. A ceiling fan turned slowly above them. The smoke from the cigars floated through an open window. Normally the men didn't smoke, but for some odd reason playing poker in this setting reminded them of _Casablanca_and itjust didn't seem right not to have a cigar. It was the only time the women would permit it anyway. Hobbes particularly got into it since he saw himself as the Humphrey Bogart type.

"Okay, ante up everyone," Ed commanded before the cards were dealt. One after another, the men pushed chips to the center of the table. Ed dealt the cards one at a time until everyone was holding five cards for their weekly ritual of five card stud. Shane checked the cards in his hands. With a defeated look he folded. Darien snorted and placed some chips into the center of the green matted poker table, "I raise."

Tom glanced at Darien with a raised brow, his Chameleon training had prepared him for the toughest of assignments, but not for poker. He thought for a few minutes and after studiously examining his cards, "I'll see your raise." Ray shook his head and threw his cards down on the table, "I fold." It was up to Hobbes and Ed now to make their move.

Hobbes glanced at Ed over the cigar in his mouth. "Your move…Doc." Hobbes blew a puff of smoke and stared at Ed with daring eyes.

Ed leaned his head back and thought about his options. He picked up some chips and placed them on the table. "Okay, I'm gonna 'see' your bet and 'raise' that bet. Darien looked at the chips on the green mat. He glanced at Ed, "Hmm…Doc here is the daring type."

"You have no idea," came Ed's reply as he puffed on his cigar with confidence.

Hobbes looked at Ed's bet and checked his cards. He puffed on his cigar, "Okay, there Doc, I'll 'see' your bet and…" he reached for his high stakes chips and placed those in the center, "I'll raise."

Darien took two cards from his hands and placed them face down on the table. He then picked up two more cards from the deck. Tom looked at the pot and what he had, not much, but he wasn't the kind to play it safe when his life wasn't in danger. He decided to keep the hand that he had. Ed removed one card and retrieved another one. Hobbes did the same.

Darien opened the next round of betting. He picked up a couple of chips and pushed them forward. Tom checked.

"Oh, playing it safe huh?" Darien teased.

"No, just don't want to be foolish," Tom retorted.

"Yeah, right," Ed mused as he checked his cards. Ed smiled, "All in," he pushed all that he had into the center of the table.

"Whoo…check him out, Mr. Living Dangerously," Hobbes quipped.

Ed smoked his cigar as he wiggled his brow, "G'head, Secret Agent Man, make my day."

"That's the problem when you're playing poker with someone who hears voices. You don't know what's going through their minds," Darien retorted as he waited for Hobbes to make a decision.

"Those voices are my friends, they've gotten Bobby Hobbes out of trouble many times," Hobbes retorted as he examined his cards.

Darien rolled his eyes. "And gotten you into trouble."

"It's all a matter of how you look at it, my friend." Hobbes said as he shuffled his cards around.

"I hear the 'You gotta look at angles' speech comin' on," Darien added disgruntled.

"Okay, my Double D friend, I'll match your bet." Hobbes pushed his chips forward.

Darien examined his cards, and tossed them down on the table, "I fold."

"Can't take the heat, can ya?" Hobbes retorted with the cigar in his mouth.

"Well, now this outta be interesting, a Chameleon, Double D and Paranoia are in a showdown." Darien leaned back in his chair to watch to see who could out last the other.

Tom glanced at the two humans, they were both good at this and Ed usually showed facial expressions to show his emotions, but with cards, he was a pro. Tom tossed his cards down, "I fold."

"I call," Ed said. Hobbes turned his cards face up, "Straight, Queen high." Ed laid his cards down, "Flush, read 'em and weep." Ed had won the pot.

"Damn, how does he do that?" Darien said as Ed scooped up the pot with a grin.

"He's a master," Hobbes said annoyingly. At least though Ed's all in total was still less than what Hobbes had so he was still in the game.

After it was all said and done, Tom ended up the evening's winner. He checked his watch, "It's time for me to leave."

"Sure, take our money and run…typical." Ed said as he leaned back in his chair. Shane and Ray put out their cigars and grabbed their coats. They were going to escort Tom back to his house.

They walked Tom to the door and wished him well. Ed closed the door and walked into his kitchen where Darien and Hobbes were already helping themselves to beers. Darien handed one to Ed, "You know, it's not everyday that you play poker with a world leader."

"Here's to Tom," Hobbes said as he raised his bottle.

"To Tom." The three of them said in unison.

"So, ah how's life as a dad?" Ed asked after he took a long sip of his beer.

"Great, I didn't think it would be this much fun. I often wonder what their little minds are thinking about."

Ed looked at Darien, "Can you read babies minds?"

"Nah, it's just emotion with them at this age. But I can tell that they're excited when they experience something new. I wasn't sure about fatherhood, but man, I wouldn't change it for the world. I see life in a whole new way now."

"Okay, you aren't gonna start talkin' about changin' diapers and stuff like that are you, cause if you are, I'm leavin'."

"Sorry, Hobbes. So, ah, how are the wedding plans coming along?" Darien asked to change the subject.

"Great, she wants to have a human wedding and she's agreed to a Jewish one."

"Can you do that?" Ed asked.

"Yeah, there are rabbis that will do interfaith…"

"Hobbes, we're talkin' interspecies marriage…big difference."

"Let me finish, Fawkes…my rabbi agreed to this _special_ circumstance."

The three men wondered out onto the porch and sat down. When Claire arrived, Darien thought it best for him to leave to help Darcy with the twins. Claire kissed Ed and told him that she was tired and went off to bed. Hobbes stayed with Ed for awhile. He glanced over at the scientist who stared off into the blackness of the night.

"What's on your mind?"

Ed turned to him, "You know it's usually Darien and I having these kinds of conversations."

"Yeah, well, you married the girl I loved and now she's pregnant with your child so it concerns me too. If you're all wacked out then she'll be wacked out sending bad vibes to the baby and I can't have that."

Ed chuckled, "In your own way, you have a point."

"I always have a point."

"That you do."

"So, what's on your mind? I can see those wheels spinning. Impending fatherhood has you all twisted up inside, huh?"

"Yeah, you might say that. I don't know, Hobbes. It's just that…the whole world has gone crazy. With the war, terrorists, and even here, the economy, out sourcing, and now if you express a political view that doesn't show support for the White House you get thrown in jail or kicked out of a club. This country is turning into a dictatorship… I really have to wonder about our new president."

"He's not a president, he's a puppet…"

Ed glanced at Hobbes in shock, "What makes you say that?"

"Just a gut instinct, my friend. Like _The Manchurian Candidate_, someone else is pulling the strings. This country is being set up for something. I've been around the world and seen many things to know when a puppet government is operating. I just can't prove it."

"Hobbes, do you know what you're saying?" Ed asked.

"Yeah, I do and if I tell anybody they'll say I'm crazy because of my past."

"I don't think you're crazy. When do you think it'll all happen… whatever you think will happen?"

"Hard to tell. But then it may never happen. But if something does happen then you'll know when it happens. And while it's happening there won't be anything you can do stop whatever is happening…"

Ed stared at Hobbes with a blank expression.

"So in the meantime, enjoy life, my friend." Hobbes checked his watch. "I better get goin'. Nice talkin' to ya, Tate."

Ed still not completely sure of what Hobbes just told him, replied in a confused tone, "Yeah, likewise…I think."

Ed walked Hobbes to the door, and then headed up the stairs…slowly. He was still trying to figure out what Hobbes had been saying before he left. Quietly, he walked into the bedroom so that he didn't wake Claire up. He stripped down to his boxers and carefully settled onto the bed. Claire rolled over towards him and saw how the moonlight cast a glow on his bare sculptured chest. She laid a hand on him and he turned to look at her.

"So, how was your talk with Bobby?"

Ed thought for a moment, "I'm not really sure."

Claire blinked her eyes a few times, "What do you mean?"

"Well, we started off talking about the world and then…I just don't know."

"Hmm, well, Bobby does have that affect."

"Come here," he said looking at her. The moonlight shined on her and it was turning him on.

She moved closer and he rolled over to lay nearly on top of her. "I love you, Claire Keeply Tate…or whatever it is you're going by these days." He brushed the hair from her face.

She giggled, "And I love you, Edward Tate." Her fingers raked through his hair. "Make love to me."

"That's just what I had in mind," he smiled as he bent down and covered her mouth with his own.

Lewis stood in front of the large window looking out over the ocean. A knock at the door broke him from his thoughts. He turned his head slightly, "Come in." The door opened and a young man came in. Lewis continued to look at the window. "What do you have for me?"

"Karl Hunter has sent you a report detailing the progress at Alcatraz." The man put the report on Lewis' desk. "He believes the main part of the project is nearly complete. Modifications to the facility can be done quickly as necessary."

Lewis turned around with a grin spreading across his face. "Excellent. Send out word to our operatives, phase two in our world domination has begun. With the world in chaos it will give us the cover we need to complete our work. The humans can be too trusting, that will be their undoing."

_JFK, the 35th President of the United States once said, "Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable."_ _There always seems to be someone out there who would rather be a bully than talk things out. The world is a mess right now and it's going to get a lot worse before it gets better. _


End file.
